En anglais seulement
Picknicking Tips & Advice
|
1 |
Use a quilt
as the base of your picnic spread; any old blanket will do, of course, but
a bright quilt of some familial consequence spread across a picnic table
or – if the quilt is up to the task - over a grassed bit of ground will
bring along such memories as memories are made of. |
|
2 |
Go that last
unexpected mile: sometimes forgo the plastic ware in favor of pottery,
glasses, and cloth napkins. (The handkerchiefs your grandfather favored,
now available in colours he couldn’t name, work well here). |
|
3 |
Always
remember that everyone finds an appetite in fresh air and sunshine. Pack a
little extra food every time; it will not go to waste. |
|
4 |
Place foods
in your basket, box, or cooler in reverse order; that is, the dessert goes
in first, the after-swim snacks last. On-site, remove only the food for
immediate consumption, taking special care to keep cold foods very cool
indeed. Whenever possible, keep your cooler in the shade or other
temperate place. |
|
5 |
Still the
most worrisome ingredient at the picnic grounds? Yep, mayonnaise. After
all these years, all those maternal frettings … mayonnaise. Keep it cool.
|
|
6 |
Now and
then, make a picnic absolutely spontaneous. Cruise your favorite food
market at high speed, grabbing items for 1) their great taste and 2) their
immediate serve ability. |
|
7 |
Ethnic
favorites translate outdoors just fine. Consider an Italian theme (deli
meats, cheeses, marinated vegetables, maybe a pasta dish from the salad
bar) or Mediterranean (feta cheese, a variety of olives, pitas,
hard-crusted breads, tabouli) or Tex-Mex (salsas, guacamole, cheeses, and
10 pounds of chips). |
|
8 |
Bring along
a small, battery-powered sound system; lend an ear to the weather report
or choose the music to match your outdoor activities. |
|
9 |
Surprise
your family or a special friend with an early weekend wake-up and a
waiting breakfast picnic. We’re thinking ice-cold fruit smoothies,
cinnamon rolls, and bacon-potato frittata with steaming quarts of basic
black coffee. |
|
10 |
Begin right
now the thoughtful gathering of a basic picnic box or basket, a practical
set of tools that will serve in any outdoor event: can and bottle openers,
corkscrews, necessary condiments and spices, some nonperishable foods
(granola bars, nuts, dried fruits, peanut butter, maybe some juice boxes)
extra table service, empty containers and food bags, a particularly sharp
knife, trash bags by all means, paper towels and napkins, liquid soap,
matches, and such other necessities as – with enough time to think – you
might decide to include. Now set your picnic kit, in simple readiness,
somewhere close to your car keys. |
|
11 |
Always take along a cooler and five pounds more ice than needed. |
|
12 |
Pets at a
picnic? No problem . . . as long as you remember their needs, too: plenty
of food and water and a means to hold both. Don’t forget to clean up after
your four legged friend. |
|
13 |
Recycling is
never more appropriate than at a picnic. And we’re talking hard goods
here, too: Shorten the legs on an old dining room table for a perfect,
ground-based picnic setting; old dishes and serving bowls that might not
serve for Thanksgiving dinner with your new in-laws will add colour and
maybe some pageantry in the backwoods. |
|
Check back here now and again. We’ll be adding tips from
time to time. |
|