Posted
on April 23, 2015
I
think it's pretty great that National Picnic Day is on a Thursday –
because for years (more than a decade!), my family ate picnics almost
every Thursday! That was the day that our homeschool support group
got together for park days, theme days, field trips, and even
parties. One or more cooler was almost always involved – and
sometimes we even had cookouts in the evening after having a picnic
lunch!
Of
course, National Picnic Day isn't on a Thursday every year – the
days is hooked to the date, April 23. It falls on weekend days, too –
probably more likely picnic days for most people!
The
most important two parts of a picnic are the people and the setting.
The weather can be important, of course – how many times have we
heard about a picnic being spoiled by rain? The least important part
may be the thing most people talk about so much – the food! I have
done many a picnic with a crusty fresh baguette and a hunk of cheese
and a single piece of ripe fruit. That simple fare can seem amazing
sitting at an overlook of a European castle, or basking on a sunny
beach, or crouched down in a niche made from boulders, out of the
breeze, near an alpine lake.
However,
some people take their picnic food very seriously. Naturally, we want
our food to be safe – so make sure that food is stored and carried
with that in mind! Here is Food-dot-com's page with links for
mayo-free potato salad, corn and zucchini salad, and rustic onion and
cheese picnic pie!
By
the way...
“Picnic”
is a fairly cutesy word, given that it has a rhyme built in. It comes from the French word piquenique - but etymologists aren't sure where that word came from! The first time piquenique appeared in print was in the late 1600s; the word was rarely
used in English before 1800.
Eating out of doors of course has been happening all through history!
Even when it finally came into use in
England, spelled “picnic” rather than with those French Qs and
silent Us and Es, it meant what we now use the word by the word
“pot-luck.” A picnic, back then, meant an informal meal to which
every guest contributed a dish. These casual meals could be eaten indoors or outdoors –
it was the “many cooks” aspect
that was important.
Now,
of course, we can have potlucks at an outdoor picnic, but a picnic
basket can be created by a single cook, too, and many times it is just two people doing the eating – it is the meal being
eaten outside somewhere that makes it a picnic.
Unless you want to picnic inside!
If you are suffering from an overly-long winter of constant snow and
rain, then you may certainly picnic indoors. Spread a blanket on the
floor, plop down a well-stocked picnic basket, and eat your
sandwiches and chips while sitting crosslegged with paper plates
balanced precariously in your lap!
Also
on this date:
Plan
ahead:
Check
out my Pinterest boards for:
And
here are my Pinterest boards for:
So
grab your picnic basket or get out there to your grill, and eat
outside today.
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