Adults at the kids' table

"I signed up to xiaofanzhuo at the age of 31!" a vlogger said in a video recording his experience dining with children at a local school, joking that he was almost the same age as their parents.

Xiaofanzhuo literally means "small dining table". It's a type of after-school care center for elementary or middle school students.

The vlog quickly went viral online. It resonated with numerous office workers, especially those who lack the time or skill to cook but are also tired of costly takeout meals that are often too oily and salty. By contrast, at xiaofanzhuo, one can have nutritious lunches at a cost of only 500 to 1,000 yuan a month.

Seizing the potential for business opportunities, many people have established xiaofanzhuo services specifically targeting adults.

However, it's hard to say how long this trend is going to last as many who initially set up a xiaofanzhuo have already decided to close their businesses due to low profit and people's concerns over food safety.

Barbenheimer is blowing up

Audiences overseas are going crazy about two new movies: Barbie, directed by Greta Gerwig, a fantasy comedy about the real-world adventures of the classic Barbie doll, and Oppenheimer, directed by Christopher Nolan, a biographical film focusing on the father of the atomic bomb, Robert Oppenheimer.

Both movies were released in the United States on July 21. This coincidence sparked a fandom frenzy online and created an unexpected combination — "Barbenheimer".

Social media was flooded with memes and fan-made videos related to this trending topic. One of them is an AI-generated trailer, which features a Barbie wearing protective goggles and proficient in crafting an atomic bomb while the mushroom cloud created by an atomic bombing turns pink.

Other industries are also eager to capitalize on the opportunity presented by Barbenheimer, as a wide range of derivatives like T-shirts, stickers, mugs, and backpacks quickly flood the market. Some movie theaters are even creatively promoting double features of the two directors' previous films, where audiences can see Lady Bird and Interstellar or Little Women and Dunkirk in succession.