The Foods of Shanghai's Jewish Communities

In conjunction with the end of the Asian Art Museum's 2010 "Shanghai" exhibition, the JCC East Bay and the Asian Culinary Forum will present a public panel discussion on the history of Shanghai's Jews and their culinary experiences. The panelists will share evocative stories about how Jewish people recreated familiar foods under very trying circumstances during the first half of the twentieth century. We will also hear about Jews trying new tastes in China, and about the culinary repercussions for Jewish families after their sojourn in Shanghai ended. Inna Mink will speak about her experiences as a child in an Ashkenazi family living in Shanghai and Dianne Jacob will speak about her observant Iraqi-Jewish family's culinary traditions, which included Indian-Jewish, British and Chinese food. A question and answer session will follow the presentations, and small samples of Shanghai street foods will be available for tasting.