magazines and books contain erroneous and humorous and disparaging remarks about you. Well, "gluten intolerance" has arrived.
First, the December 24th 2005 issue of the Economist contains "The story of wheat" (p. 28). In addition to being a history of this old and widespread grain (with acknowledgments of maize and rice) the article contains important information about GM foods and world hunger.
However, the article complains that "The Atkins diet and a fashion for gluten allergies have made wheat seem less wholesome". It floors me that the Economist would wrongly compare a weight control diet with a medical condition. But there it is. I guess that some visibility is better than none.
A more humorous reference to gluten intolerance is found in the new book on civility by Lynne Truss, Talk to the Hand. This is a very funny and heartfelt rant against rudeness. But here gluten intolerance is associated with what Truss sees as people defining themselves by things they don't like. She is willing to admit that "advancing years [may bring] greater intolerance." She writes:
"... I now can't abide many, many things, and am actually always on the look-out for more things to find completely unacceptable. Whenever I hear of someone being 'gluten intolerant' or 'lactose intolerant', for example, I feel I've been missing out. I want to be gluten intolerant too. I mean, how much longer do we have to put up with that gluten crap? Lactose has had its own way long enough." (p. 5)
I admit that I laughed out loud reading this. It's a bit disparaging, but it is funny. So the good news is that gluten intolerance is becoming visible. What's missing in these references is that it is a disease and not just a fashionable lifestyle choice.
Technorati Tags: Celiac, celiac_disease, GlutenIntolerance, culture
You are absolutely right. I almost bothers me more when people refer to it as a food allergy. I try to equate the celiac's reaction to gluten to their reaction to arsenic in an attempt to make them understand it is more than a simple allergy.