[Hikari's Izakaya Diary] Meal Buddy Merch Is Selling Great, Thank You All + a Camping Recap 2023/11/12

Quick preface: I've lost count of how many times my diary entry has randomly crashed halfway through and wiped everything I'd written. So this is my second attempt at this week's entry QQ.

After a long wait, it's finally here — and no, it's absolutely not because I was slacking off (X). The Meal Buddy merch I got printed back in August has finally been landing in everyone's hands over the past few days! I've been loving seeing everyone bring their mini 阿光 out for food and drinks around town, and sales have been great — genuinely, thank you all so much for the support! Goal now: sell out every last piece of remaining stock!!! Also want to give a special shoutout to my manager, SODA子, for handling all the merch logistics back then. Hope everyone's enjoying their Meal Buddy!

Does anyone here go camping regularly? Last week, my whole extended family (20-plus people) went camping together for the first time in ages. I think the last time before that was over two years ago — before the pandemic, my family used to go camping together once or twice a year. Honestly, at this age, still being able to travel with the entire family like this is genuinely something to be happy about.

This time we camped in Meishan, Chiayi, right next to Taiping Old Street — a spot that gets pretty lively on weekends. The campground being right next to the old street made things super convenient, since basically all the food and drinks you could want were right there, no need to pack extra. The whole environment was really comfortable, and if you get bored, there's also the Taiping Skywalk nearby to walk around (skip it if you're afraid of heights). Overall, a really accessible, low-effort camping option.

Speaking of camping, I've always felt like simple instant noodles or a quick hot pot is the ideal camping meal, but the older generation apparently disagrees. This time, my dad arranged full sit-down banquet-style meals for two lunches and one dinner... can we not just keep it simple?QQ And since I hate wasting food, well, you know how it goes — I'm supposedly on a diet right now... dieting on bananas and guavas, apparently. So really, I blame my family for every pound I've gained. Nobody on earth has less standing to call you fat than your own family!

By the way, I'm not here to sell you on the magic of camping — for me, camping is really just a simple excuse to get the whole family traveling together. If we're talking pure comfort, great food, and good sleep, nothing beats staying home lol. But being able to get everyone together in one place to just relax and chat — that, I think, is the real reason I keep saying yes to these family camping trips.

(Shot straight up from inside the tent — this was honestly the only photo I took the whole trip lol)