Honestly, I'm right there with you. I carried a little French press for years, feeling very fancy about my camp coffee. Then one rainy morning I had to clean wet grounds out of it and just gave up. The instant packets have gotten a lot better than they used to be, and it's one less thing to pack and worry about breaking. I save the nice coffee for when I'm home with a real kitchen to clean up in.

Man, that's a tough spot to be in. (I've been there with my own diet tries.) But here's my real question: did you think about cooking your own meals instead of eating what they made? It sounds like your parents tried to help with the salad, so maybe they would let you use the kitchen for your food. Sometimes you have to just do your own thing to make it work, even if it feels separate. What would happen if you made a big batch of your food on the weekend and just heated it up at dinner? That might take the pressure off without causing family drama.

Yeah, margin is everything right now. The cheaper base cost definitely helps keep things profitable.