The hot days are back again...

Somehow DC appears to have managed to skip spring. We went from a few nice days mixed in with days that back to winter temps to 90 degree weather in about 12 hours. While it might not seem like the most appropriate thing to do on the first really hot day of the year, Amy and I spent Saturday eating hot Korean soup in a shack with no air conditioning and then walking around a massive park for three hours with no water.

Amy and I have been talking about going to the Korean wholesale market at 4th and Morse Streets in NE for some time. It just so happened that the day we finally decided to go was ridiculously hot. Amy is also on a mission to do all the things there are to do in DC before she leaves us and moves to India, so Saturday's adventure also included the National Arboretum off New York Ave, NE.

Amy and I met in Korea, so Korean food is something of a bond for us and I was very excited about the little restaurant she pulled me into at the Wholesale Market, even if the name of the restaurant was "Deli and Carry-Out." I ordered my stand-by of Mandu Guk (translation dumping soup) and Amy had ordered a spicy beef soup whose official title has already escaped me. We had our standard side dish of kimchi and splurged on Diet Cokes which made a huge difference in the tiny, hot restaurant. We chose a table strategically placed next to the drink cooler so that anytime someone grabbed a drink we got a nice little breeze.

Koreans are firm believers that on hot days you should eat hot food, so that you sweat more and therefore your body cools from the inside out (I think that is the logic, I get confused sometimes). I would have made my Korean host-mother proud on Saturday because I sweated my way through that entire lunch. My Mandu Guk was fantastic with homemade dumplings and lots of duk (Korean rice paddies). I did not get a chance to sample Amy's but she did a very admirable job of packing it away so it must have been good.

After our heavy meals, we purchased Korean ramen noodles in bulk and then drove over to the National Arboretum. Unbeknownst to us, we came during the high weekend for the Azaleas at the Arboretum and it was quite a sight. I felt like the Arboretum was some big secret that people in DC had been keeping from us. It was beautiful with lots of nice shady spots for lounging on hot sunny days. Sadly, Amy and I are not the best planners and failed to bring anything about warm Diet Cokes on our trek. In the future, coolers with cold beverages and a picnic blanket are highly recommended. However, in a tight spot the water from the faucets in the numerous (and very clean) bathrooms is deliciously cold.

For those of you who can get there the Deli and Carry Out at the Korean Wholesale market is a must, especially if you are a fan of Korean food. For those of you a little less adventurous, the Arboretum is a great place to bring a packed lunch and some carefully disguised cold adult beverages. Enjoy the summer time!