Little piggy

I've been a bit busy lately, hence the lack of blog postings in the month of August. But I think I have a legitimate excuse; we had a baby!

Isn't he cute? (Rhetorical question.)

Those limbs may be skinny, but do not underestimate their strength!
And don't worry, now it's bulking season.

One commonly asked question I've been hearing lately is, "Was it/is it hard to have a baby in Korea?"

Short answer: No.

Long answer: Korea is a first-world country with all the amenities, products, and services I can expect to find in the States. And if I sense even the slightest whisper of a concern that I can't get some beloved baby item that baby Conor so desperately needs (after all, who's supposed to know which baby washcloth is the best baby washcloth when all the labels are in Korean? Even in English you don't really know these things. Also, sense the sarcasm dripping off of these statements.), I order all the things on Amazon. And as far as giving birth, I did that at an American military hospital, with American providers, and every part of the process was communicated to me in English. Basically, it was the next closest thing to giving birth in the States. Even if I had chosen to give birth or seek care in a Korean hospital, I've heard these places are great. With great doctors. Who speak English. Besides, in a country the size of Indiana with a population of over 50 million, I trust that the medical professionals here know a thing or two about people being born.

Overall, not a bad experience at all. Easy peasy. Well, except for labor. That was work, work, work, work work. But the rest of the process went very smoothly, and we anticipate that things will continue to be that way for the next few steps too: getting our baby a passport and eventually moving back to the good ole U-S-of-A!

But in other news, and in an attempt to keep this blog mostly about travel and less about my newborn little chickpea, I have to emphasize the delightfulness that was a bacon restaurant within walking distance of our apartment.

Go away, vegetarians. Go eat your plants.

That, there, is 8 different varieties of bacon. I suppose some would call it "pork belly," but when I was first introduced to the concept of this restaurant, I was put under the impression that it was a bacon restaurant. So that's what it shall remain, both in my imagination and in my reality.

The bacons are seasoned in unique ways and served up Korean barbecue style. That is, on a leaf of lettuce with sides of kimchi and other vegetables.

Grilled up kimchi, mushrooms, and bacons

Soup with seafood things in it

If you ever want to try to search for this place on your own, I wish you good luck in finding it! It's one of those hidden-off-in-a-nook places that you don't notice until it's right in front of you. And in Korea, almost every restaurant and storefront can be described this way. But if you are adventurous, and if Waze will allow it, search for an establishment by the name of "Hive Pork Belly" located at 79-6 Songtan-ro 40beon-Gil, Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi-do. And be in the mood for bacon when you do it.