Comments on: Ins, Outs, and Chilled Mulled White Wine

By: Sumana Harihareswara

Sumana Harihareswara — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:55:14 +0000

Holly, this same thing happened to me when I made a one-line diabetes joke in my column once.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 04:12:49 +0000

My son nearly died from gluten intolerance. It doesn’t get more real than that.

By: Annelie

Annelie — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 03:20:59 +0000

Sure, I understand that it was ment as a joke but I must be honest and say that to me and my family Celiac is not a joke. My son is 5 years old and was diagnosed about 7 months ago. He still struggles with his “new” diet every day and cries because he wants his “real” food. Sometimes he tells me that he dreamed that he was eating “normal” pizza, bread, pasta, and e.t.c. It would be hard to explain to him that for some people this is a joke - trust me my son is not laughing about it.

By: Sue

Sue — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 01:46:41 +0000

Celiac disease is no laughing matter. While we struggle to make the best of a difficult situation, it’s not particularly funny. Until you’ve walked in our shoes, you can’t imagine what we’ve been through. Once the diagnosis has been made, your life changes…..not only at home in your kitchen, but everytime you go somewhere else to eat or to purchase food. A gluten free diet is the ONLY treatment and it’s that way for the rest of your life. A very serious disease!

By: Caaren

Caaren — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 20:19:40 +0000

So you are a bit socially challenged? We all are at different points in our lives. Not an unforgivable mistake. Celiac is a real disease and affects may of us. I have watched first hand how this disease can ravage a child’s body; permanently change a mother’s heart and life forever. If you consider that 1 in every 133 people actually have celiac disease–I have no doubt that you will be touched eventually. I would not wish celiac on my worst enemy—but I do hope that you develop some compassion and get a clear understanding of this disease.

By: FollowOurFlip

FollowOurFlip — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 20:03:20 +0000

Thank you for changing your post to reflect your understanding of how upsetting a comment that does not seem to understand the seriousness of gluten intolerance can be. While I do understand your parody, and appreciate your lighthearted humor, there are still people who have to fight their families and friends regarding the seriousness of their illness. So any comment, even joking, can feel like a slap in the face. I applaud you for being upfront, honest, and apologizing, instead of telling people to “lighten-up” or “get over it” as so many bloggers do. Good Work. :)

By: anne

anne — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 19:28:49 +0000

You may think gluten intolerance should be “out” and I wish it were that easy. I would throw it out in a NY second if I had a choice. It messed up not only my body, and I have various other related ailments because of celiac, but it also caused us to be invited to drop “out” of the gourmet group we had belonged to for years. No one wants to invite a celiac to dinner because it is too much work. So, I guess I would have to agree. I have been “out” for 10 years now. Now we socialize with our BnB guests who come here because we are gluten free. They love feeling “in” when they are here!

By: Tonya

Tonya — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 18:45:15 +0000

I would like to make a comment on the line in this that says “OUT: Gluten intolerance. Get a real disease.” It IS A REAL DISEASE! It’s called celiac disease. Your writer should have put a little more thought into this, even if it was just meant to be a humor piece. People with celiac disease aren’t just avoiding gluten because it’s a fad or something, it makes them ill and can lead to life-threatening medical conditions.

By: Frances Kelley

Frances Kelley — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 18:43:06 +0000

While, I appreciate that your comments were intended as comedy and I also appreciate your reply to those who have commented, I still need to say one more thing. Gluten Intolerance, Celiac Disease, Gluten Sesitive Enteropathy are all names for the same disease and it is a REAL DISEASE. Again, I do understand that you comments were meant to be funny but even in jest no one would say “Cancer is out, get a real disease”.

By: sydney

sydney — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 18:15:41 +0000

I thought it was funny too. If you can’t laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at?!