Celiac Disease (or other food issues) and Interviews

[dragonbush]

I know I am not the only Celiac out there who is interviewing (or has interviewed). What do people do about lunches etc? The people I have talked to at the schools I am interviewing say it would be best to bring my own food for the group lunches. Granted I have had Celiac for a LONG time, and normally I would just bring something like beef jerky and carrots. Unfortunately, I always feel very awkward eating more snackish foods while everybody else is eating a lunch etc. What do other people do and bring?
One of the schools I am interviewing for a special small program, and the head of the program hosts a dinner for the applicants at his house. This place told me it would be best to bring my own food, but I feel extremely awkward showing up to dinner at somebody's house and bringing my own food! Any advice from fellow celiacs or other people with food allergies/intolerances would be greatly appreciated!

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[LizzyM]

You might want to check with each school on a case by case basis as you are invited for interviews.

If the school sends students through a cafeteria line, you may be able to get a salad bar, hard boiled eggs, fresh fruit, beverages without much fuss.

A box lunch is usually finger food (sandwiches, chips, cookies) and you won't be out of place eating finger food (carrots, jerky).

If it seems like a knife & fork lunch (hot buffet), maybe you could bring a pop top can of tuna or something similar that is eaten with a fork along with your carrots and whatever else you'd eat.

I agree that it is rather off-putting to be asked to bring your own meal to a dinner party! Could you order take-out & bring it with you and ask to have it plated in the kitchen?

 

[Avoidthetiger]

Can't offer advice dragonbush but I feel you! I told one of the school's I was a vegetarian, but when I got to the dinner reception hosted by a school all they had were big meat dishes and same vegetarian snack foods (cheese, grapes, desserts). Needless to say I was pretty hungry at the end, and went and got some hotel food right after. I wasn't that upset though... there was food for me to eat and my decision is more a choice than an intolerance.

I would pack your own lunch during the medical school interview. Don't be embarrassed -- just say you have allergies if anyone asks. I might skip the head of the program's dinner. The host should be able to accommodate allergies and he clearly isn't is being disrespectful. It's not too difficult to make gluten free products or buy them (I recently had delicious gluten-free cheesecake). On the other hand, bringing your own food would clearly point out how horrible it is that he did not accommodate your diet. Otherwise, eat beforehand and plan on just awkwardly looking at everyone during dinner.

A huge number of people have gluten-allergies so I am surprised that aren't more accommodating to this.

Edit: I took so long to type that LizzyM beat me to it. haha

 

[boaz]

Many schools (at least most schools I interviewed at) will order a different lunch for anyone on a special diet. I ate kosher, and I noticed some applicants eating vegetarian. It's totally cool to ask them, and it's a lot less awkward than bringing your own lunch. But if you have to bring your own, that's fine too; it's good to stand out in your med school interviews

 

[Helen Wheels]

I feel your pain, dragonbush. I have celiac, too. I have only been gluten free for seven months so I haven't totally adapted to this. I had one med school interview this year (and that will be it for me since I was accepted and it was one of my top choice schools). Anyway, I did not want to bring up my "special dietary needs" to anyone at the school before an interview. I know I shouldn't feel this way but so many people don't really understand gluten intolerance and think you are just being picky and high maintenance.

They ended up serving pizza and salad at my interview so I was able to eat the salad. Thankfully, there weren't any croutons in there. (For those of you who don't know, celiacs can't just take the croutons off. Just one crumb can set off the autoimmune reaction that damages our small intestine and makes us sick.) I also had some snack foods with me in case there hadn't been anything for me to eat at the lunch. Still, I was really hungry by the end of the day and the first I did when I left the interview was to head straight to Outback.

I definitely would take snack foods in case there is nothing to eat so you won't be famished. I took gluten free snack bars. Lizzy M's sugestion is good - tuna in a pop top can or foil puch would be easy to take. You might also take one or two of those single serving size cups with fruit packed in juice (next to the canned fruit at the grocery store). I am thinking that in most cases there will be some part of the meal you can eat, salad or a piece of fruit, and you can just add your stuff.

I think the biggest thing for you to remember, dragonbush, is that the people you eat lunch with at your interviews are going to be so stressed and nervous that they will likely not even notice what you are eating.

Unless you have celiac you can't fathom the ways in which it affects your life because so much social activity centers aroound food and so much of the food in the US is wheat based.

 

[accidentprone]

I'm a vegetarian, and at both of the interviews I've had so far there was a salad option free of croutons. I missed out on some heartier fare, but in both cases the interviews followed lunch and I didn't mind not feeling very full. Satisfied was probably perfect given that it can be easy to have pre-interview jitters.

In all my dealings with admissions offices, the staff have been totally kind and understanding. I can't imagine it would hurt to inquire about the lunch and if they'll have food to eat that'll work for you. After all, I think most admissions offices want their applicants to feel comfortable and welcome. They know you'll be evaluating their program and they want you to seriously consider attending there. Otherwise they wouldn't bother having you over for lunch.

 

[TropicalKitty]

Thank you so much for bringing this up! I've been wondering what others do. I figured out my gluten problem back in June, so I'm still learning.

My plan for interviews was to eat a good filling breakfast (I can eat oats -so far - and figured oatmeal and hearty protein would be the way to go). I then would carry stuff like apples, carrots, and a high protein shake or bar in my purse - things not needing refridgeration. If anything, I wasn't going to mention my gluten problem, as someone else noted, it can be construed as being a finicky or picky eater. Should anyone comment on my not eating what was served "I'm nervous!" was going to be my response. A lot of people don't understand what we go through when we get this stuff in our bodies.

I think as long as we are kind and respectful of what things are offered to us, there shouldn't be issues. We can't really expect them to plan for every possible dietary problem. I like the idea of calling to find out what they are doing for interview day so you can plan ahead.

 

[accidentprone]

Thank you so much for bringing this up! I've been wondering what others do. I figured out my gluten problem back in June, so I'm still learning.

My plan for interviews was to eat a good filling breakfast (I can eat oats -so far - and figured oatmeal and hearty protein would be the way to go). I then would carry stuff like apples, carrots, and a high protein shake or bar in my purse - things not needing refridgeration. If anything, I wasn't going to mention my gluten problem, as someone else noted, it can be construed as being a finicky or picky eater. Should anyone comment on my not eating what was served "I'm nervous!" was going to be my response. A lot of people don't understand what we go through when we get this stuff in our bodies.

I think as long as we are kind and respectful of what things are offered to us, there shouldn't be issues. We can't really expect them to plan for every possible dietary problem. I like the idea of calling to find out what they are doing for interview day so you can plan ahead.

I wouldn't be so afraid to mention you have Celiac. Here's why:

Two of the many things adcoms can be interested in are that you are a person who is sensitive to people whose medical conditions force them to make lifestyle changes and that you have had some personal experiences with adversity or difficulty in life. Having Celiac is something that can show you have experience in both of these areas.

Secondly, you may find a common bond with another student or faculty member. Celiac is not all that uncommon. At one of the lunches I attended, one med student asked a fellow classmate why she was avoiding a particular dish. She replied "I can't eat wheat", and I said something like "Oh, do you have Celiac?" She seemed pleasantly surprised that I had heard of the condition, and we had an instant bond because my wife also has it. I don't remember if the student was on the adcom or not, but regardless it was a common point of discussion from which we were able to talk about other things. It turned out talking about Celiac was a good icebreaker.

I suspect that if another applicant is disrespectful of your condition it will reflect negatively on that person, not yourself.

 

[TropicalKitty]

I wouldn't be so afraid to mention you have Celiac. Here's why:

Two of the many things adcoms can be interested in are that you are a person who is sensitive to people whose medical conditions force them to make lifestyle changes and that you have had some personal experiences with adversity or difficulty in life. Having Celiac is something that can show you have experience in both of these areas.

Secondly, you may find a common bond with another student or faculty member. Celiac is not all that uncommon. At one of the lunches I attended, one med student asked a fellow classmate why she was avoiding a particular dish. She replied "I can't eat wheat", and I said something like "Oh, do you have Celiac?" She seemed pleasantly surprised that I had heard of the condition, and we had an instant bond because my wife also has it. I don't remember if the student was on the adcom or not, but regardless it was a common point of discussion from which we were able to talk about other things. It turned out talking about Celiac was a good icebreaker.

I suspect that if another applicant is disrespectful of your condition it will reflect negatively on that person, not yourself.

Thanks! That makes me feel a bit better. I've been out at restaurants and other places where people serving food have been rude about it. I get the roll of eyes or snide comments "I don't even know what that is!" when I say I can't have wheat. In the interview setting we should be more understanding given the field we are trying to get into and I should definitely realize that.

 

[dragonbush]

Thanks for all the good ideas!

TropicalKitty- I think that servers don't understand that you really can't eat it. There are some people who claim to be "gluten intolerant" and will ask questions about what type of vinegar they use and stuff like, and then "cheat" and eat a brownie for dessert. I have a friend who is a waitress who had that exact situation happen.