A Conversation with Lukas Hahn

Let’s start the blog with the show notes for this Episode –

This episode started from a discussion with Ellen Bayens of theceliacscene.com for the April roundup episode 166 when she told me the story of a student from abroad, studying in Victoria in a homestay program, who was having difficulty as she required a gluten free diet.  Ellen assisted in solving the problem, but it brought so many other questions to my mind about homestay and a special diet.  On this episode I speak with Lukas Hahn, Manager – Homestay Program, Greater Victoria School District, who helps organize both the students coming to study in Victoria, as well as the families they will stay with.  Lukas gives us a great perspective on the opportunities hosting a student gives a family and large community.  We discuss what a host family is required to do, some of the responsibilities and some of the perks.  We talk about the practical experiences of a foreign student on a gluten free diet, as well as how families who are already gluten free can be invaluable to the program.  
https://www.studyinvictoria.com/ 

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Facebook – @acanadianceliacpodcast

Twitter – CeliacPodcastCA

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

Other Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – https://glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com

My Thoughts –

My brief experience with homestay was as an alternate family in the Rotary International Student Exchange Program.  We were the family who stepped in when the host family had to go away for a few days, or something came up that made hosting difficult.  We hosted two students very briefly, but it gave me a taste of the program and its many benefits.

One benefit that I wasn’t expecting was the food.  Our students came prepared to make a meal for us from their home countries.  This was a thrill, and the conversion to gluten free was relatively simple.  There was also a barbeque for the host families where a few of the students prepared special dishes.  I suppose I noticed the food more, because I was gluten free.

I thought it was all the more interesting in discussion with Lukas that as a gluten free host family, we would serve what we might find common, by way of recipes, or Canadian gluten free brands, but much of this would be new to the visiting student.  In turn, the student could tell us what was popular in gluten free where they lived.

I think I speak for many by saying I am anxious to plan a trip to somewhere different, and maybe exotic.  Time will come, but not just now.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a family in another country who was gluten free and could show us around, to all their favourite spots, and take us in a grocery store to purchase all the best gluten free they have to offer.  That might be my dream vacation – the world is pretty big, but I can see how hosting a homestay student makes it just that much more manageable and exciting!

A Conversation with Dr. Melissa Ing, Djenane Lemaire and Miranda Boynton

Let’s start the blog with the show notes for this Episode –

Every once in a while, I hear from one of my previous guests on the podcast that they’ve done something that might be of interest to my listeners.  This was the case when Dr. Melissa Ing, who I spoke with on Episode 106 “Celiac Disease and Dental Education”, contacted me recently about research and a poster project a couple of her students had done.  On this episode, I speak with Dr. Ing, and two of her students Djenane Lemaire and Miranda Boynton about testing they did on common materials used in dental offices to determine if they contained gluten.  The testing included soaps and hand lotions, as well as materials that went directly into a patient’s mouth.  The poster was very well received, being awarded second place in a large competition and being chosen for presentation at a major dental conference.  We talk about how dentistry can be a first line to diagnosis and how rewarding it was for the students to have their research project about gluten exposure in the dental office so widely received.

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Facebook – @acanadianceliacpodcast

Twitter – CeliacPodcastCA

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

Other Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – https://glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com

My Thoughts –

Some episodes of the podcast challenge me more than others.  This often happens when I speak with researchers or scientists regarding new studies or papers they’ve written.  The subject and results are usually quite exciting, but the terminology and recording methods are often beyond me.  I do my best to understand and take solace in the fact that most of my listeners are not scientists, and if I can grasp the basics of the research as well as the results, I can talk about them and help you understand as well.

My experience is altogether different when I’m talking with student researchers.  These discussions have been with student recipients of an award from the CCA JA Campbell Research Fund, as well as students mentored by a doctor or scientist with an interest in celiac disease.  It was a pleasure to speak on this podcast with both Djenane and Miranda, neither of whom had indepth knowledge of celiac disease prior to working with Dr. Ing.  Djenane’s parents are both doctors, with her father being a gastroenterologist, so she may have had an interest there, and Miranda also comes from a healthcare family, and suffers from gluten sensitivity.

Like Dr. Ing, it’s great to see these scientists take an interest in celiac disease and how it might affect their patients.  In researching for a study or preparing a paper, these students must follow a very straight line in their interest and stay focused on one aspect of celiac disease, but it’s wonderful to see them hungry for more information.  Both Djenane and Miranda had a real concern for their future celiac patients and were actively trying to meet their specific needs.

I could feel Dr. Ing’s pride in her two students, both in the recorded podcast and the discussions the four of us had around the podcast.  I felt proud that they allowed me to help them promote their work.  I’m confident that whatever course their education takes them in, they will know more than most dental professionals about celiac disease and will continually be trying to educate their peers for our sake.  Thank you ladies!

A Conversation with Mike Rose

Let’s start the blog with the show notes for this Episode –

This week is a delightful and very informative conversation with Mike Rose.  Both Mike and his wife Shirley require a gluten free diet.  They were considering leaving their home to move to a retirement residence when Mike got to work researching and investigating the options available to them.  Mike was a tireless worker for the Canadian Celiac Association for many years and he brought all that knowledge to help him find just the right residence that would be able to provide a good healthy variety of gluten free options to the couple’s meals.  Mike shares how his search went, has suggestions if you’re going to be investigating retirement homes, and now that he is moved in is continuing to both educate and communicate with the chef, servers and management for all those who require a gluten free diet.

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Facebook – @acanadianceliacpodcast

Twitter – CeliacPodcastCA

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

Other Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – https://glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com

My Thoughts –

When I was very young, I accompanied my Mother as she went to our local “old folks home” to volunteer in the tuck shop.  She was the Auxiliary Treasurer and served the community for many years.  As a child I was very comfortable in the presence of old people.  Many in the home were not able to cope on their own.  Later, when I had my first daughter, I approached the management of a similar “old folks home” where I lived to see if there was something I could volunteer to do, and bring my daughter along with me.  To my surprise, they suggested I come and paint the ladies’ nails.  For the first few months, I brought my daughter in her carrier and I was never sure if the ladies wanted their nails done, on just wanted to see the baby.  As Deanna got older and began walking, she delighted the ladies and they soon lined up to “get their nails done”. 

That, of course was more than 25 years ago now.  In that time there has been a complete re-think as to the living requirements of our seniors.  Independence is for many top of their list, then assistance and community.  It was always my parents’ plan to live in a retirement home, once they couldn’t cope on their own.  Then there was my uncle after he’d recovered from a broken hip, and my Mother-in-Law after being at loose ends since my Father-in-Law’s passing.  Retirement homes offered each of them so much. 

After my Mother-in-Law was relocated from her home to the retirement home she chose, we collectively decided she needed a break from the winter cold and I offered to accompany her on a cruise leaving out of Florida.  On our return, she lamented that we should have planned a couple of extra days in the sunshine before swiftly returning home.  The next year, we planned a similar cruise, only this time, once the cruise was over she was anxious to get back to her home.  That’s where she feels safe, and where her friends are. 

After my Father had a stroke and was preparing to leave re-hab, I arranged for my parents to do a short stay at a retirement home very near my house.  For the four weeks they were there, it was just perfect for them.  The right balance of care and independence.  It was a simple choice when my Mother’s health began to fail that this particular residence would be the best option, and it was. 

Most people wait too long to choose a retirement residence.  (pre covid) – Most have hairdressers, gyms, games rooms, some have theatres, plant rooms and even pubs.  There are plenty of activities – I’d never seen my Mother-in-Law play cards, but she’s a regular now and wouldn’t miss it.  There are often buses to shuttle residents to the bank, shopping and doctor appointments, as well as rides in the country to sightsee and participate in local goings-on.

With everything retirement homes have to offer the greatest service is peace of mind to family.  I don’t worry about any of my elders.  There are nurses to check on them, talented chefs to see they eat well, and fun, energetic helpers to keep them engaged.  During covid the staff at the homes have also kept them safe, and for their efforts I am truly grateful.  I’m glad people like Mike are paving the way for the gluten free diet for when I’m ready to move in.  A choice to move to retirement living is the best gift you can give your family – and yourself.

A Conversation with Peter Corrin of Zero Tolerance Gluten Free Home Brew Club

Let’s start the blog with the show notes for this Episode –

This week’s interview is something, that oddly I have unique knowledge about – brewing beer at home.  I speak with Peter Corrin of the Zero Tolerance Gluten Free Home Brew Club who answers all my questions about the differences and unique challenges in brewing your own gluten free beer.  This may or may not be something you’ve thought of doing, and Peter gives us some resources to investigate how their group is making the process easier for anyone, whether you have previous experience with home brewing or not.  We talk about the costs, expectations, and some issues unique to gluten free.  You can find out more online at –

Zero Tolerance Gluten Free Homebrew Club

A Gluten Free Homebrew Club based in Seattle, WA. Meeting Monthly via web conference on Zoom. Wiki: https://zerotolerance.mywikis.net/.

https://zerotolerance.mywikis.net/

Gluten Free Home Brewing – Malt, Recipes & Supplies

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Facebook – @acanadianceliacpodcast

Twitter – CeliacPodcastCA

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

Other Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – https://glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com

My Thoughts –

Out of the blue, Ellen Bayens emailed about the Zero Tolerance Gluten Free Home Brewing Club and to say that Peter would be an interesting interview.  The first thing I did was laugh.  Then I wrote back to Ellen to tell her that she had struck on something that I was quite well versed in, at least traditional home brewed barley based beer. 

When I was young, actually, from very young, my father operated a business out of our home that sold beer and wine making supplies.  It was his hobby, and since he’d had such difficulty sourcing supplies and suppliers, he decided to import the ingredients and equipment needed and open a shop – completely apart from his day-to-day job.  This meant that my mother became employee number one and as kids, my brother and I were helping move boxes about and any small way we could lend a hand.

This was just the way I grew up.  When I was in grade 4, one of our projects was to make a bristol board showing a scientific process.  The process I knew best was the one with the many steps of making beer.  I stapled small packets of the ingredients to the board and used plenty of arrows to illustrate the method.  I can’t remember what mark I got on the project, but I do remember my teacher being somewhat confused by my choice of subject.  As well, it’s something my father is proud of to this day!

At the time, brewing beer and wine in one’s home was somewhat taboo.  My father actually had to get a licence to brew beer and wine in his home.  We lived just outside Ottawa and the regulations to operate a store out of your home were very strict – positively no signage on the property to indicate a business.  Not long after my father opened the “store” with limited hours of operation, we found out that the RCMP had been “tipped off” to cars pulling up, people going to the back door and coming away with brown paper bags.  A car was sent to “watch” our home for suspicious activity.  The “investigation” was quickly sorted out, as a neighbour was a member of the force and my father had all the correct paperwork to operate a business, even one as unorthodox as selling home brew supplies, as this was the only one in the Ottawa area (and beyond).

Over the years, the hobby of home wine and beer making grew and is now an accepted alternative, even spawning the you-brew businesses that solve many of the challenges of space and equipment.  My father is now 90, and his concession is to use a you-brew shop to make his wine as he is now in a retirement home.  Some hobbies become part of your makeup and in his case define him.  In my case it’s a big part of my memories of home when I was young.  To think now that home brew clubs extend to gluten free just warms my heart and brings a smile to my face.