I recently read Crying in H Mart, which put me in the mood for Korean food. I can always rely on P to follow up with my cravings, so she set up our group to dine in at Kook, with a group of 6 + my baby. Check out the spread of just the banchan! 

We ordered the Combo for 4, which comes with an assortment of marinated beef, pork, and chicken, deep fried gyoza with options for beef or pork, a bowl of tofu soup (either seafood or beef option), and a plate of japchae. I have not yet been to a Korean restaurant where they have given out 15 different side dishes, and maybe you think I'm inexperienced in the world of Korean cuisine, and you'd probably be right. I've never been to Korea! I've been to K-Town once only! 

The seafood soondubu was savory, but did not burn my mouth with the salt content. It came out bubbling hot, and yet, the tofu was still soft and fluffy.  

I didn't actually try the japchae because I was already too full at this point, and sometimes potato noodles give me indigestion. It looked really nice though: 

I'm very excited to return here, so that I can revisit the melt in your mouth soondubu and all the grilled meat. I'm also looking forward to asking for refills of the banchan, which I did not ask for this time. Actually, you'll probably find me here next weekend. 

Why does it feel like things tend to happen in groups?

 

July started slowly, with the worst heat wave in the history of Canada, and now, the worst wildfire season, as well as another heat wave on the way.  It's really time for all of us to start doing more to prevent or at least mitigate the effects of climate change. I hope I can do my part with the latest life change.

Actually, the latest two life changes. Stick around for the next updates.  

We survived the hottest day in the history of Vancouver!

H and I took baby S to take refuge at BS's place, where they have centralized air conditioning at home. It's much more efficient than us going out to buy a new AC unit, which probably wouldn't even dent the heat in our house. I needed a break in the middle of the day to get a coffee, and originally planned to drop by JJ Bean for a nice cold shiver (it's like a Tim Hortons ice cap, but with real coffee, thus better). Instead, they suggested we visit The Mighty Oak: 

They were out of cold brew, and we ended up getting iced beverages instead. The total for our iced latte and iced americano came to just around $10. 

I liked it, but inside the shop, it was missing a bit of character, so I probably wouldn't go back to hang out. The inside seemed quite clean, with shiny countertops, but it felt like the materials were cheaply chosen and just was missing that hint of classy hipster coffee shop vibe. The coffee was good though, so I wouldn't mind going for a pick me up during the day, if I happen to be in the neighborhood. 

Baby S was so drained that she fell asleep in less than 5 minutes while we were out with her in the stroller. Now that the heat wave is over, I think I'll finally get a good night's rest. 

Today was the hottest day of the year, as of today. It is supposed to be over 40°C on Monday, and it's only the beginning of summer. Although there is an end in sight, because the forecast shows the temperatures leveling off, I'm getting anxiety attacks from worrying about going through this type of heat dome again and again in the future. Climate change is real and it's here to stay. 

If I was not a mother and did not have a child, I would probably have ignored the heat, because I would've just hung out inside playing video games and eating ice cream all day.

However, baby S is a sweaty monster and even though babies are resilient, babies are still very sensitive to the heat.  

Her room actually faces south, and is upstairs in what I believe used to be an attic space that was renovated into a room. When I walked up there with her after dinner tonight to start her bedtime routine it must have been the same temperature and humidity as the rooms in Bikram. I could feel the exact spot where the temperature changes, while ascending from the main floor - the point where the main floor ceiling starts is where I felt like I was walking into an oven. The floors were burning, water droplets would have sizzled on the metal door knobs, the bedsheets were radiating heat because they had soaked up the hot air throughout the day. H and I couldn't let her sleep in that because it would basically cook her. 

I'm sure other parents in Vancouver are going through the same thought process. The easy out would be to go pick up an air conditioning unit for her room, but I feel like that is just avoiding the actual problem. I want to be able to enjoy the outdoors with my curious child, go on walks and explore the world with her, instead of worrying about heat stroke. What's the point of getting air conditioning for inside my house, when I want it for the streets outside? 

Not to mention, air conditioning is a significant contributor to global warming, and every time I hear both of my neighbor's AC units running, I judge them. They're otherwise very nice people and I quite enjoy living next to them. 

Am I going to boycott air conditioning altogether? No, because sometimes, it might be necessary and I'm not an extremist. I am going to strongly argue against getting an AC unit installed for our house. 

Should we have more children? Probably not, because babies are also a significant contributor to climate change, and it frightens me to think of what type of world will be left behind for my baby girl. 

Should I change my shopping habits because of climate change? Probably, but I really want to get a rug and a few more pieces of furniture for baby S's room, as well as the rest of the house, mostly because we are frequently at home now, after the pandemic started and now the heat wave. 

That's it for tonight. I hope my bed sheets have cooled sufficiently for me to lie down in bed now. If not, I'll be sleeping on the floor tonight.