Ask Mike: The perfect picnic
Hey Guys,
The weekend is here, and not a day too soon. Like many folks who enjoy a day spent away from cubicles and fluorescent lighting, I’ve got plans to attend a picnic in the park. Got me thinking–what makes a good picnic? What should I bring? Oh, and why in the world is it called a “picnic”?
Let’s start with the last question first. According to All About History, the word comes from the French “piquenique,” which simply means an outing with food. While the word is found in references as far back as 1748, the picnic didn’t become an outdoor event until sometime in the 19th century.
So, now that we know who to thank for the word, the question becomes: what to bring to the park. In order to have a successful picnic, one must find the balance between having enough activities to keep people interested, but not over planning it. After all, a picnic is all about doing things at your own pace. I personally love to bring my football and crossword puzzle, and lounge around on a blanket (I’m a simple man). And, of course, the food has to be good (i.e., not healthy).
A look through Yahoo! Answers shows that picnics are always a popular topic. Got any advice for couples seeking tips on how to plan the perfect picnic to celebrate an anniversary?
And what about you guys? What’s your idea of a good picnic? Got any favorite dishes or activities you’d like to share? Please leave a comment below. And don’t forget the bug spray.
Thanks for reading,
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I think the blanket is great and all, but it is for laying on after you eat. Or for playing backgammon etc.
So bring board games, definitely a football, some softball gloves and balls and a Frisbee.
Pick a spot that is in the shade but near the sun. Away from people but not far from a bathroom.
But also not along the route to the bathroom.
Bug spray is a must, spray down the area before you settle in. Especially the Underside of the table.
Oh and don’t forget the extra blanket, just in case you want to double one up, or one over you, or for a pillow.
Anniversary? Sweet, if you are allowed, bring a bottle of ’something’ to make it special. Sweeter, bring a small vase with a few flowers for the table. Just adds a little touch.
Point is, to make it as comfortable as possible so the long day is as comfortable as possible.
Have Fun!!
The best things to bring to a picnic is fruit salad… yummy. but as far as activities go i just walking threw trail and good conversation that is what i remember from my childhood
My idea of a good picnic is by the water either by a lake under a tree or on the beach under an umbrella. I would pack a nice comfy blanket to lie on and two small pillows for me and my man. The food I would choose for my picnic would be sliced fresh mozzorella and tomatoes drizzled with balsomic oil and a loaf of crispy Italian bread – followed by a fresh fruit salad that I prepared the night before and put in the freezer. The fruit salad would include: strawberries, blueberries, green grapes, seedless watermelon and a tsp of sugar – I would also include freshly prepared salads such as macoroni and potatoe. We don’t drink so I would probably brewed a fresh pot of coffee the nigth before and make some ice coffee. We would end the meal with some butter cookies and a piece of really good dark chocolate.
I love potatoe salad, home made is the best. Fruit salad is also a classic. If you want to get fancy with your dish buy a flat of strawberries, wash and cut the pointed tip so the berry can stand up straingt with the greenery pointed up, then with a mellon balled scoop out the greenery. so now your berry is flat on both ends with the wider end scooped. combine 1 package cream cheese and 1 cup brown sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract with a table spoon of cinnamon, or cocoa powder combine these three place in a zip lock bag, snip the corner of the bag and ‘pipe’ the contents into the mellon balled hole of the berries, top with a sliver of almond for presentation. I learned this trick at culinary school, sounds wierd it being cream cheese but it is so good!
I love Picnics!!!
Here’s the meaning for the word I found:
http://www.allabouthistory.org/origin-of-the-word-picnic-faq.htm
And I think every picnic should include one of these. Saves me hours:
http://www.bestinhome.com/Picnics-Outdoor-Dining-s/1732.htm?gclid=CLq46biiwJoCFRlcagodkmDWsQ
Last but not least, this is a fabulous video with some great recipes that I found:
http://www.break.com/usercontent/2009/2/Romantic-Picnic-Food-Ideas-668865.html
Bon Appetite!
simple with common things nothing exiting. A picnic on the sea shore is more exiting then in a park corner.
Pinnic bring uncook food in the park ….and cook it there. Might as well be half done. Unless looking for date ..that would not be picnic,
I have to post comment you mail
How can I related our Qs. in any email
hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
Mike-
My idea of a good picnic is just hanging out with friends, sitting on a blanket eating sandwiches and snacks and talking, sometimes we even bring along the dogs too
The perfect picnic for me:
Food: Ice cold soda, grapes, cheese, chips, cookies, pickles, and huge subs (everything should be eaten with your hands).
What to bring: Camera, blanket, backpack, bug spray, and a map.
Where to have it: State park
Activitiers: Hiking
I’m taking a big grunt right now. Bring some tupperware and you can take that to the picnic. Should be enough to feed 4-6 people.
I always thought that Louis XV liked to dine al fresco at Versailles. That being the first picnic. My legend has it originally picnic was spelled pick and nick. Meaning to select among several choices and take it to be eaten by hand as you tended to other business such as herding cattle or sheep.That is, a meal eaten on the go while in the field. It is the reason that pinics traditionally are eaten in a park or rural setting.
Well I´d like picnic but now is raining, perhaps another day, the normal picnic is in a beauty bag like red caperucita, salmon with cheese sandwich, lemon water very cold, one beer for you,
green salat, a piece of cherry pie made for me, Beethoven and Rabell musik, a ballon for play, camera for take photos a good book for read together and my cat.
Enjoy your weekend.
I forgot…beauty blanket and 2 black dishes with 2 glasses , and pink flowers.
as far as food goes
fried chicken baked beans
deviled eggs
I think that a picnic should not be unhealthy, necessarilly. you should have a bit of both. Some grapes and nice other fresh fruits to go along with your chips and home-made cookies and brownies. I mean, healthy food can taste good, too. just don’t forget that tasty junk-crap. LOL!!
It always makes a good picnic if u have food LMAFO
I love how Americans assume that every word in the English language was derived from something to do with 19th century American slavery. Because nobody but Americans are smart enough to think up new words, because Americans are superior and special and SHUT UP. So racist.
Sorry to correct you but the words origin is older than 1748.
“picnic. 1748 (in Chesterfield’s “Letters”), but rare before c.1800 as an Eng. institution, from Fr.[French] piquenique (1692)”
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/picnic
From snopes.
http://message.snopes.com/showthread.php?t=27499
However, snopes is not always right. For instance Snope still says Mexicans didn’t use urine in their alcohol making process. That is wrong. Urine [ Urea Acid] used to speed the growth of bacteria which sped the production of alcohol. Modern tequila makers switched to buying bags of urea acid instead of using the traditional method of having people urinate in fermenting juices.
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf60003a611
the version of yugioh online on my pc is not up date
My idea of an excellent picnic has always been and will continue to remain the naked flesh of my paramour on a blanket in an isolated and natural spot, with plenty of chicken bones strewn about among the clothing along with an empty bottle of wine or two. This, one can conclude,therefore, is the essence of paradise on earth in so far as it may become known to us.
KISS Keep It Simple Silly!!
All the romantic movies show a long French Baguette sticking out of a bakery bag, fresh sliced cheese from a deli, a bottle of chilled slightly sweet wine- Moscato di Asti is a great choice & inexpensive. Splurge on a couple of glass plates & wine glasses – Leave the plastic ones home for the kiddies! add a jar of assorted olives or bread & butter picklesor sweet peppers., & a small jar of mild Dijon Mustard or mayo. Just rip the bread into small pieces as you consume it, top each piece with the mayo or mustard, Cheese slices, pickles or olives. If you want deli meat pick up a 1/2 lb of your favorite to go with the cheese. Try roast beef or pastrami. If you don’t drink wine, splurge on a bottle of Italian water, Pelligrini flavored or a cup or 2 of your favorite coffee.
Don’t forget a couple of cloth napkins with your blanket. Super romantic & she will be thoroughly delighted with all your detailed plans.
Peace is comfort,not in confinement
The secret to any great picnic is to be free from the simple yet confining rules that we were taught as children.
Eat dessert first, have a contest to see who can spit a watermelon seed the farthest, allow no watches, phones,pagers or laptops.
Eat without a shirt on, wear a hat or cap while eating,
Enjoy finger foods that were meant to be eaten with silverware, have a blind fold and taste test or identify different flavors.
Try and mimic a bird singing or the sound of an angry squirrel.
Carve your childs name in a tree. (or your name)
Bury a small treasure box with love letters that are not to be read for a year. year. Draw a map to your treasure and set a date to recover it.
The perfect gift for this anniversary is a new, antique or sentimental picnic basket.
A proper basket should open outwards , the handles must move ,yet be well made
.Do not get a tightly sealed basket. It changes the taste and appearance of the food.
You do not want her new picnic basket to be heavy when empty. Your choice of dinner ware should also be lightweight and fit properly in the basket. Less is best, leave the kitchen sink at home. lol
You must have a small first aide kit in the basket at all times. With the exception of beverages, bring no more food than what will fit in the basket.
Laugh, smile and exchange secrets ,dreams or fears.
We love picnics and my girls are now passing along this tradition to our 4th generation.
Fresh air, good company, great food and memories that will last a lifetime
. Life doesn’t get much better than that.
Happy Anniversary.
Chocalate dipped anything, fruit,marshmallows, etc. is a must if you like chocalate. Don’t forget paper towels and/or hand wipies just in case.
I don’t know if this is wierd for an anniversary, but spray “cheese in a can” is really good on crackers and easy to transport. And soo much fun spraying it directly into your mouth when you run out of crackers! LOL I agree with everyone who said great conversation and lots of laughs and pictures are a must. Have fun!!
cold cold drinks are good, so bring a cooler ,make sure the blanket is not itchy .how about some nice french bread with a variety of meat she could make her own sandwich and chips and fruit .like chocolate covered strawberry’s bring some wet napkin’s i think there called toilets .It is always nice if you have an animal bring that and some interesting conversation piece like funny things you have read lately
Best food for a picnic is fingerfoods – something you can eat with your hands!
I agree with using real glasses and plates – but have the proper wine to go with it, f.ex. a good rosé, or a half dry cava or champagne (no cheap asti ..)
Bring cherry tomatoes, sandwiches (salmon, ham, egg-cress salad, cheese), chicken drumsticks, skewered and grilled chickentenders (brushed with a good bbq-marinade), baked pockets (f.ex. pizza-pockets or pirogi-filling), nuts and olives, cubes of hard cheese, grapes and strawberries, and mini chocolate muffins (maybe a canteen of coffe for those).
i really want to answer your last qustion. but you might find it offencive. but its orgin came from the slavory times when a runaway slave is caught, or a black person wrongfuly accused in the jim crow laws, the white mob would hang and then burned with fire. sometimes alive. pic nic or pick a n—–.
My Ideal picnic would be at a lake,park,beach etc. The Food I think I would like is Seafood or Sandwhiches and Chips. I would like to drink fountain drinks or Champaigne or a glass of wine. I think anyone could be there. Your Lover,Your Children even some of your closest friends.
A picnic can be part of a bicycle trip. There is adventure in the bicycling with a friend, but also in finding good food for a picnic lunch. You are more likely to find small deli grocers, with unique breads, cheese, and drinks. You might find fresh fruit, salmon, or pastries to add to your picnic. Then you can ask the locals where you can find a good picnic spot, and dig in !
mayb u should bring some junk food 2 eat wif ur fwends.oh,n don’t ever 4get 2 bring along ur girl fwend
My idea of a good picnic could be different from the next persons. I’ve read, and heard many ideas that could conclude that we all do the same thing, but there’s just so many different ways you could do it.
I personally, would pick up some stuff at Rainbow foods, (i.e; Fresh Fruit, Fried Chicken, all premade stuff) and put it in a plastic bag and head down to the local Dam, where we’ll just sit for a while.
However, I’ve got a great recipie for your family if you are fruit freaks at picnics. This recipie is wonderful for fresh strawberries:
What you need is 1 package of Phillidelphia Cream Cheese, and 1 jar of Marshmallow Fluff. Sounds simple right? Cause it is. Set out your supplies. [bowl, mixer/mixing spoon] and wait for your cream cheese to soften. Once it’s softened, put it in a bowl, and add your marshmallow fluff. Stir vigourasly till it makes a sort of plastery looking mix. Make sure you stir out all the lumps. Serve in a bowl, and you can chill it in the fridge or take it on the go with your fruit. it’s absolutetly delicious and is a hit at every family get-together.
As romantic as a picnic could be with that special someone, unless it is in the late evening in the openness, this girl ‘ain’t havin’ it’. I hate being outdoors. I have such allergies and upper respiratory issues that being outside only complicates matters more for me. Additionally, I hate bugs, ants, mosquitos, hot sun, sweating, scratching, etc. A perfect picnic to me is a nice food spread on a table or the inside of the back of a car where no bugs can get to me. Better than that, picnic in my living room sounds awfully good.
My school is about to have a school-wide picnic for the 5th through 8th graders with outdoor grilling and the works. Each grade level was to bring whatever they wanted (hopefully their parents!!) and they were in charge of getting the party started. Me? I have already told my principal – I will not be outside in the hot sun!!!! Now, if they want an ISS room – where kids can hang out that ‘do not play well with others’, I am down for keeping them. Personally, I don’t like eating outside. Never have. Never will
Depends on the company, kids or not…where you go, can you cook? State parks are great because the facilities and possibility of a lake, canoeing, fishing etc. Fill up a cooler with sandwich stuff and sodas. Hot dogs..chips..watermelon. Grab a nerf ball or whatever outside games you have maybe a board game or cards…guitar? Lotsa ways to enjoy a day picnic. Avoid food stuff that spoil easily unless you’re prepared for it. Food poisoning ruins a pinic.;-(
have fun
Ignore Charlene she’s obviously a bigot and sounds PMS right now. Not ALL of us are the way she thinks.
Hey boo boo what’s in your pickanick basket.
Boomerang!!!
I deffinently think good picnic food is SANDWICHES.
Here Is my FAVORITE type of sandwich- get a long french baguette bread… Then you cut about a 6 inch piece. Cut it through the middle… so you can put stuff in it. Then , I like to spread the top and bottom with butter. Next I layer both the top and bottom with swiss cheese. Next I layer on the turkey. YUM!
I would also pack Cheddar cheese or String Cheese.
Fruit either apples , grapes or watermelon…
Some pretzels or Some form of potato chip. I love doritio’s. Potato Salad or Macaroni salad.
If you would rather do it more fancy… Then I suggest bringing a mini grill. Cooking chicken. Here is my recipe: First cover the grill with Foil though. Take the chicken breasts OR thighs (whatever else works fine too) then sprinkle on some basil , pepper and salt. Let it cook about halfway then coat it with BBQ sauce. Next , let it finish cooking. Add some more BBQ sauce and sprinkle on some pepper.
Now here is a Salad I like to make.. Get some Romaine lettuce and you can get other types as well.. Cut up an apple into little cubes , and some walnuts into pieces. Then dump that onto the lettuce and spritz some Rasberry Vinagrette onto it!!!
Bring a bottle of dry wine!
Well my perfect picnic would include my best friend, breakfast burritos, and fruit.
Good times.
When I was twelve we woke up early, made breakfast burritos we had learned to make in our foods class, and ate on a blanket on the grass right outside of our apartment building.
Not about what you bring, but who you bring. I wish I could go back to that day.
Picnics sound great. I don’t think I will be eating any pork though : think about the swine outbreak. Read this: http://religiousviews.webnode.com/products/dietary-laws-/
i love picnics!!!! gotta have a nice sandwich, and a tub of salad, freeze some lemonade, so its ice cold when u want to drink it, it also keeps ur food cool.
strawberries and grapes ect,ect….
i wanna go on a picnic now!!!!
I think Brigid is an expert! I’ll write down her recipe now.
For me the perfect picnic is one with a small bbq with a fish on it and a bottle of wine.
Steaks – your choice or hamburgers if you want to economize, beer – your choice, potato salad, potato chips
Activities — Frisbee throwing and catching, Touch Football, Softball
i want to learn how to speak chaldean and arabic
I think the perfect picnic, starts with perfect company, I enjoy bringing good sandwiches, wine, cookies that are homemade like chocolate chips , Grapes or watermelon and some non alcholic drink too. I enjoy makiing it up with fancy , but disposable plates and just always bringa frisbee and cozy blanket. Find a sunny spot.. and sit and enjoy each others company the best!
Summer is here and a lot of people are too excited to go out of town and enjoy the rest of the summer. But there are also a lot of practical people that would prefer to go out for a picnic with their family and love ones. This is not as expensive as going out of town but same fun it will be.
u suld bring some blankets fot sitting on and some sport items and you should bring some food well obviously, if you have a dog yyou can take him along that would be fun!
hello
I received one promotional picnic blanket as a gift a few months ago from my company that I love love love. It’s waterproof on one side (which comes in handy for picnics following summer storms, which forever keep the ground wet…) and it’s the picnic-perfect red and off-white checker cotton on the other.
I think it was purchased from http://www.promotionproducts.com.au/galleries/Promotional-Bags/Picnic-Bags/
for a very affordable price too!