LEVI HASTINGS
The United States, at least statistically speaking, has more Christians than any other country on earth. Fully 70 percent of Americans identify as Christian. Which means that if you’re a religious minority, our national holiday of Christmas can be a weird time. The streets are deserted. The machinery of commerce is quiet. It’s like a practice run for the Rapture.
Except at places like Shanghai Garden in the International District, where crowds always spill out the door on Christmas and a long, symbiotic tradition continues: Chinese restaurants providing space and nourishment for Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, atheists, and other people seeking refuge from the religious mainstream on days when everyone else in America seems to disappear…
