Presents for a celiac

You know what your favorite celiac wants for Christmas/ Hannukah? I'll give you a hint. It is not a strange fake hamster (or a strange live hamster, for that matter).  And while world peace would be great, lets be honest, it's probably not happening for a while.  So. Simple answer: gluten-free food at your holiday party.

The season of parties is upon us and it can be intensely frustrating for a celiac to attend these soirees.  Inevitably, amid the small talk and drinking, the fact that someone is not eating gets attention.  Your celiac will probably tell you that it's no big deal, they prefer to bring their own food.  Not true! What they would prefer is to eat with everyone else.  An equality of food, if you will.  The problem that's inherent in the system (anyone?) is that even if you make a gluten-free option, the likelihood that it will be contaminated is kind of high.  Even people who are moderately aware of the effects of gluten tend to be less than careful about cross-contamination; "aren't you being just a bit too picky?" "can't you eat just a little?"  "it won't hurt you."  Add alcohol to the mix and there's almost zero chance that the gluten-free food will stay gluten-free if it's universally available.  Therefore, the safe celiac will not partake even if there is a gluten-free option. 

So.  The more complex answer to what your celiac wants for the holidays: universal awareness of celiac disease and its restrictions.

Its been a...

It has been almost a month since I put keyboard to screen and let loose.  High time, I say, to get back into it.  November is always a slightly tough month, but now December is here and demands to be celebrated!  As most properly socialized people know, celebrations = food. Therefore...

Most Christmas-y food ever: oyster stew.  Every Christmas eve, my family would load up into the van (there were a lot of us) and, eventually, after Christmas visits and services, end up at my grandmother's house for dinner.  Some of my sisters detested the traditional meal and demanded an alternative, but, to me, nothing smells as rich, tastes as velvety or has such strong memorial resonance.  The oyster stew would be warming on the stove when we arrived, filling the air with a buttery aroma.  I am not going to post my grandmother's recipe because, frankly, it's not mine to give.  But here you can get Madame Paula Dean's, which looks easy, delicious and, best of all, is gluten-free.

GF Goes Mainstream

Have you seen that new legal show, "The Good Wife?"  I'm loving it.  The storyline: the wife of a politician having an affair with a prostitute (sound familiar?) has to go back to work when her husband is imprisoned for misuse of political office.  Luckily, she's a natural litigator and has very interesting cases come up every week.  This past week involved a slip and fall case that implicates the first amendment.  It also implicates a gluten-free diet! When the plaintiff is asked why she would travel an extra 5 blocks (or some such number) to go to the kosher grocery store when there was a perfectly good grocery closer to her house, she answers, "My daughter has to eat gluten-free (dramatic pause) and there are more options at the kosher grocery."  Spoiler alert: turns out, the plaintiff is in cahoots with the security guy and the whole thing was a scam.  I think its awesome that they came up with gf needs as the cover story!

Voting Day

A coworker recently expressed his opinion that celiac is a psychosomatic illness. While he did not say I was crazy, he did say that he thought it was all in my head.  This guy is (otherwise) intelligent, has a graduate degree in-what amounts to-logical thinking and somehow believes that a verified autoimmune disease actually does not exist.  Because he cannot imagine its existence.  It is outside the realm of his experience and ability to empathize.  Essentially, he feels that if I could just stop thinking that I have a deadly reaction to gluten, my life would be a whole lot easier. 

Now, this guy is a nut. And I laughed when I heard about his insane ramblings.  But it stuck with me. And it's got me thinking.  What if other people felt this way? What if a lot of people decided that celiac is a choice--and a bad one? What if it became a religious issue?  (The Christian Bible does talk about wheat an awful lot; it is not impossible that someone could read it literally and decide that a life without wheat was not condoned by God.)  What if people got together and decided that, because celiac was not something they experienced, because the Bible suggests separating the wheat from the chaf, because food issues are an inconvenience, that celiacs could not eliminate gluten from their diet?

Now you think I'm crazy.  But bear with me.  Tomorrow marks a hugely important day in the life of Americans.  It is voting day.  A lot of you out there may be thinking that, since it isn't a presidential election, your vote doesn't matter.  You could not be more wrong.  In almost every state, important decisions are being made about who will be making decisions on your behalf and what you and your friends will be allowed -- or not allowed-- to do.  In Maine, a vote is being held on whether your gay friends (and whether you know it or not, you probably have some) should be allowed to marry.  In Virginia, there are men up for election who condone bigotry, who have publicly decried a woman's role in working society.  If these things outrage you, you should go to the polls.  If they do not outrage you, then I would challenge you to put yourself in the shoes of those you think are more directly effected. Imagine you are a gay person in love or a woman who is just trying to do the right thing for her family. 

The verse by Pastor Martin Niemoller is relevant tomorrow.  We need to stand up for the rights of others, lest there be no one left standing to stand up for us.

Weird Gluten-Free Resources

When you have a baby--at least here in DC--you get signed up for a ridiculous number of solicitations.  (Or maybe I didn't see the opt out box).  Most of these eventually just peter out.  One, however, has followed me relentlessly, like a harmless stalker.  Parenting magazine lands in my mailbox periodically and it provides a good thirty-minute distraction.  This month the "snack" section caught my eye.  Allergen treats! For kids! And their parents!  The gluten-free snacks even looked delicious.   Most of these, celiac parents are already aware of--like Lucy's Cookies--but it is nice to see them mainstreamed.

DC Tops List of Brainiest State, But Bad News For Celiacs

DC has been named the top "brainiest" state in the America according to studies based largely on intake of DHA-fortified foods.  Interestingly, medical experts not associated with the study indicated that certain other tests should have been included in the index including, specifically, tests for gluten-intolerance.  Apparently, consumption of gluten by those with celiac is a factor in the development of dementia.  

The Littlest Lobbyist

Kyle Graddy has begun an early and hopefully effective career as a lobbyist.  The nine-year old boy, with severe peanut allergies, described his recent Washington, DC experience for CNN.  His eloquently simple description of the issues is maybe the most effective I have seen to date.