Faculty Sponsor(s)
Hillary Crane
Location
Jereld R. Nicholson Library: Grand Avenue
Subject Area
Anthropology
Description
During the summer, we conducted interviews for Professor Hillary Crane with people who had either celiac disease or gluten intolerance. It quickly became apparent that people experience celiac disease in vastly different ways. We cover these varying experiences in terms of symptoms, eating at restaurants, and personal relationships. There are common symptoms associated with celiac disease and gluten intolerance, but most people have just one or a set few of these symptoms. Due to varying symptoms and severity of them, there is no definitive celiac symptom or experience. This is true for social events involving food and for personal relationships. As seen in our interviews, most people with celiac do not approach things in the same way, and often the way they do go about it is dependent on their symptoms. Most diseases have set symptoms, and a shared experience, but with these varying experiences, it is difficult to define celiac. This research shows how celiac is an indefinable disease in terms of its shared experience and social impact.
Recommended Citation
Letsinger, Rose and Stoeger, Elizabeth L., "Restaurants and Relationships: Varied Experiences with Celiac Disease" (2018). Linfield University Student Symposium: A Celebration of Scholarship and Creative Achievement. Event. Submission 54.
https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/symposium/2018/all/54
Restaurants and Relationships: Varied Experiences with Celiac Disease
Jereld R. Nicholson Library: Grand Avenue
During the summer, we conducted interviews for Professor Hillary Crane with people who had either celiac disease or gluten intolerance. It quickly became apparent that people experience celiac disease in vastly different ways. We cover these varying experiences in terms of symptoms, eating at restaurants, and personal relationships. There are common symptoms associated with celiac disease and gluten intolerance, but most people have just one or a set few of these symptoms. Due to varying symptoms and severity of them, there is no definitive celiac symptom or experience. This is true for social events involving food and for personal relationships. As seen in our interviews, most people with celiac do not approach things in the same way, and often the way they do go about it is dependent on their symptoms. Most diseases have set symptoms, and a shared experience, but with these varying experiences, it is difficult to define celiac. This research shows how celiac is an indefinable disease in terms of its shared experience and social impact.
