Coming back from Puerto Rico, it was hard to imagine that I was actually landing in a hot zone. It had been only days since Westley started going to daycare when he broke out in skin rashes on his arms and legs, with a fever of 101. We had received a notice from the school on his first day there, informing us that another baby had hand-foot-mouth disease, so we had an idea of what we were dealing with. But while I was away, Westley’s rash got so bad that his pediatrician sent him to the ER for a dermatology consult, and even Melody was getting sick. By the time I got back, my wife and I were both suffering fevers and chills, sore throats, and lesions on our hands and feet which made it hard for us to walk, let alone do any housework. Fortunately, while we were surviving on rice porridge and egg jello, the baby remained in excellent mood and had no issues with feeding. Worried that we were not taking good care of ourselves and the baby, we finally called in our in-laws (again) to help out as we tried to make it through the work week, donning masks and gloves to keep from spreading our germs. By the weekend, we were both feeling much better and were able to attend our respective resident-fellow graduations. On Father’s day, I awoke to ramen in bed, went for some Asian groceries, and chilled out at home for most of the afternoon. Hopefully, I’ll be in better shape to work with my new summer research students next week. In the meantime, here’re the results of my latest noodle competition – Gangnam style! Pardon the brevity, but I was not that impressed. Again, scores are for soup, noodles.

Ottogi Spice Seafood Noodle (7,9): Amazingly springy noodles are paired with deep, flavorful broth.

Ottogi Jin Ramen – Mild (7,7): Broth of full-bodied but boring, while noodles are good and light.

Bajirak Kalguugsu – Clam flavor (5,7): Clam flavor is bland, and noodles are not that interesting.

Pulmuone Noodles – Spicy Oyster Sauce (5,8): Noodles are springy, but the broth tastes chemically.

Odongtong Myon Seafood (7,8): Very similar to Neoguri, but spicier with a more fermented flavor

Seafood Party (6,7): Despite the name, neither the soup nor noodles are much of a party.

U-dong Nouille De Saveur D’Udon (4,7): The noodles are fine, but soup is just bad.

Nongshim Champong Noodle Soup (7,7): For a Nongshim champong, I expected more but soup was a tad spicy and noodles were tad soft

Samyang Vegetable Ramen (5,7): Spicy but not flavorful broth with oily noodles that are okay.