New Jersey Jewish News
Life and Times Feature
Kung pao to kugel
Scientist blends Chinese-kosher cultures with new cookbook
Donald Siegel, author of From Lokshen to Lo Mein: The Jewish Love Affair with Chinese Food (Gefen), grew up
in a Modern Orthodox home where he was not served such “exotic” cuisine.
“My mother would make these concoctions that, in her mind, would mimic Chinese food. They were very tasty, but they weren’t Chinese food.”
His culinary epiphany came 30 years ago while studying for his doctorate at the University of Minnesota. “We went to this really great hardware store, and they had the largest wok I’d ever seen. It was cool. I bought it and started experimenting. There was a pretty good Asian contingent of grad students…. It kind of took off from there.”
The self-taught chef would visit Asian restaurants during his travels and try to recreate the recipes. “Over time I’ve developed a pretty good ‘tongue,’” he said, and found he was able to accurately reproduce the dishes.
Maintaining kashrut poses problems, Siegel admitted. “We try to keep kosher in the home as best we can, but outside, much like my mom and my dad, we kind of go ‘safe treif,’” which by his definition includes seafood. “I tell the rabbi, ‘Moses never even saw a lobster, he never saw a shrimp, and he never saw a shellfish.’ The nomads never knew of seafood, so how can they make a judgment? That’s my justification,” he said, noting that there’s no mention of such creatures in the Torah.
Siegel and his wife, Bette, are members of Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas in Syracuse, NY, where Bette serves as catering director for the Conservative synagogue.
In his “real job,” Siegel is an earth science professor at Syracuse University. “Geochemists generally like to cook,” he said. “It’s the same process: mixing ingredients, heating them up, and seeing what happens.”
In promoting his book, Siegel, 58, will occasionally pack his favorite wok and Chinese cleaver and hit the road. He held signings and demonstrations at Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple in New Brunswick in December and the JCC of Central New Jersey in Scotch Plains this past March. It’s a labor of love more than a business venture, as is his kosher Chinese catering business. Whatever money he makes goes to charity.
As the cuisine continues to gain in popularity and restaurants catering to kashrut observers increase, China itself is getting on board. “A lot of kosher bottled products are being made [there] now,” he observed. “It’s only a short period before kosher meat will be produced in China and shipped back to America.
“In China everyone knows what kosher means. They understand there’s a market.”
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