Cost is high for earlobe repairs Surgery for saggy ear holes can cost up to $1,000 per ear 66 Once a pop- ular trend, a deterrent to surgery reversing the large holes might be the cost, which can run be- tween $750 and $1,000 per ear DR. BENJAMIN GELFANT COSMETIC SURGEON By BRIAN KUROKAWA Ihe cost of surgery to repair ear gauges may stretch your wallet. Ear gauges are a cosmetic practice that enlarges a hole in the wearer’s ears by inserting increas- ingly larger “gauges” or earrings. Once a popular trend, a deterrent to surgery reversing the large holes might be the cost, which can run between $750 to $1,000 per ear, according to Dr. Benja- min Gelfant. Although he has seen people for the procedure, it is still fairly uncommon for people to get it done, said Gelfant, a cosmetic surgeon. “ve seen a few people over the years who have worn large earrings, stretched earlobes, big hole in the ear and they want that eradicated,” Gelfant said. Not everyone is as keen on having ear lobe enlargement, said Debora Pai- sana, a pastry chef. “My family doesn’t like them, and my people at work don’t like them either. They think it is weird and gross.” But that didn’t stop her. “I did my background information, so, I thought I knew what I was getting into,” Paisana said. “I have them in and I am actually going to increase the size, but in the fu- ture I will be removing them.” After several months, the larger gauges stretch the skin around the ear lobes, causing it to lose shape. Remov- ing the ear gauge after its fully stretched leaves a hole in the lobe, which is what would require surgery to repair, according to Paisana. Alisha Maharaj, a resident of Mis- sion, initially made the decision to stretch her ears after seeing them for the first time on a friend of hers, who offered her old ones to get started. Ma- haraj has no intention of removing her gauges, after five years of having them in. “Since having my child my feelings towards them haven’t changed at all,” even saying she wants to upsize her gauges. FAR GAUGES facts EAR GAUGES ARE NOT STUD EARRINGS They are big holes filled with wood or metal plugs HOLES CAN SHRINK BACK IF THEY ARE 1/2 INCH IN DIAMETER Larger holes need plastic surgery FIXING EAR GAUGES IS A NEW PLASTIC SURGERY Scar tissue is removed around the hole and the sides are stitched together ANESTHESIA IS DONE INTRAVENOUSLY Local anesthesia is also used SMOKING MAKES THE WOUNDS WORSE AND CAN CAUSE SCARS Most patients are young men and they smoke. Healing takes longer for smokers Source: Eyewitness News BRIAN KUROKAWA photo Metal stainless steel earlobe guage before removal. The changing image of poutine New poutine dishes have resulted in some pretty strange submissions, says food expert By ALYD LLEWELLYN ith the 5th annual Vancouver Wires: Poutine Challenge un- derway, participating restau- rants are focused on making their sub- mitted poutine recipes stand out from the crowd, and they’re not trimming the fat. Poutine is not known as the healthi- est of foods but is increasingly popular in one of Canada’s most health con- scious urban centres — and the proof is in the gravy as 10 restaurants around Vancouver participate in this year’s challenge. Statistics Canada ranks Vancouver in the healthiest top 10 cities, but for many the taste of poutine is all too tempting. According to Richard Wolak, the editor of Vancouver Foodster, many of the dishes this year are less tradi- tional takes on the classic fries, gravy and cheese curds, compared to previ- ous years. “A lot of restaurants decided to cre- ate something new for this year’s chal- lenge, which has resulted in some pret- ty strange submissions,” said Wolak. “One of our participants for example, U & I Thai, didn’t even know what poutine was when I contacted them, and yet their yam, taro and yellow curry fla- voured dish ended up being really cool.” These different versions of the Cana- dian classic make it difficult to know the real dietary cost, said Melissa Bak- er, a registered dietitian. Baker said poutine can be enjoyed in moderation, but the unhealthy risks will depend on how often it’s eaten and on the ingredients and preparation methods. Other submissions include a mix of old and new, such as a Japanese bar- beque skewer-type recipe made with foie gras and korokke style cheese curds, and the use of maple syrup, in substitution for gravy. “Tt’s hard to know the content with- out knowing the recipe. You’re not eat- ing it as a health food,” said Baker, “The sodium would be the biggest concern. It’s also going to be high in fat and calo- ries.” The contest runs until Feb. 28. ALYD LLEWELLYN photo Poutine dishes available during annual challenge. POUTINE fun facts ate 5.9 kg of poutine. Poutine was cre- ated in 1957 when a trucker asked to add cheese curds to his HE *Poutine” is Quebe- cois for “a mess” HE Largest poutine in the world was made in Saguenay, Que. and weighed 654 kg - as much as a large ME The average male horse would have to jog 2.5 hours to burn off a portion of poutine. HE Most expensive poutine au foie gras is $23 in Montreal Hina 2010 poutine- eating contest in Toronto, the winner Source: Maclean's magazine fries in Warwick, Que. Ladies eat, play, love chocolate They gathered to enjoy ladies night, meet new people, use their time to build community By VERONNICA MACKILLOP sociated with ladies night, how- ever, chocolate tasting and judg- ing was substituted for red wine this time. Most of the women live in South Vancouver, and they gathered to enjoy their night, meet new people, using their time to build community, accord- ing to attendees. Close to 15 women gathered for the monthly ladies’ night River District Centre on Feb. 17, and Valentines Day brought a chocolate flavour. Vienna Luke and Sunny Kim, com- munity relations managers, ran the night. “Neither one of us are experts,” said Luke. “But we both love choco- late. We thought it would be fun to have events aimed at women. Ladies nights are really good for community building.” The event is great for newcomers to the area, said two women who attend- ed the event. Jan Quiring and Lynn Di Meo, enjoy these nights and use the opportunity to meet people. “They’re great if you’re new to the community,” said Di Meo. Sheets of paper were given out with a rubric for tasting the chocolate. This included appearance, texture, taste, and smell. The other chocolate fla- vours of the night were pomegranate hazelnut, extra dark, chilli and cinna- mon, sea salt and almonds, vanilla caramel crunch, and salted toffee with banana. Di Meo added that she came to the night because it sounded fun, “well, besides the fact that I love chocolate.” Quiring said the chocolate night piqued her interest. “I thought it sounded fun, and decided to invite my neighbour, Jan.” Both women were pleased with the event and look for- ward to attending similar events in the future. R:: wine and chat are usually as-