Fishing on the Net
By Bonnie Nelson
It's Picnic Time!
Maybe with the high gas prices you are looking for ways to spend summer around town.
What about setting up an old-time picnic at one of our parks?
During the 14th century England had picnics during their medieval hunting days.
These feasts before the hunt began were of special importance and the main foods that could be found at these feasts would be hams, baked meats and pastries.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, ìa picnic means ìa fashionable social entertainment in which each person present contributed a share of the provisionsî (http://www. picnic-basket.com/History-of-Picnicking_ep_28.html)
The word picnic was known in France, Germany, and Sweden before it became part of English society. Tthe first usage of the word picnic was traced to a 16th century French text which described a group of people dining in a restaurant who brought their own wine. One theory is that the word picnic is based on the verb piquer which means ëpickí or ëpeckí with the rhyming nique perhaps meaning trifle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Picnic).
Picnics are personal. We choose the foods we serve, our dining partners, and the venue. Planned or impromptu, they are very different from public outdoor dining events: community feasts (New England clambakes, Texas barbecues, New Orleans shrimp boils), al-fresco dining (trendy waterfront bistros, central city cafes), and fair food. What do we eat? Well, that depends upon who we are. American picnic can be:
* traditional American foodsî prepared at home and served on a blanket in a local park
* ethnic cuisine celebrated by an extended family in an urban riverfront location
* an artfully presented basket of gourmet delights served on fine linen and china
* bread, cheese, and grapes shared by best friends in a canoe
It is the spirit, not the food, which makes this meal special. People living in the same place and period may set very different picnic tables. Newly emigrated peoples historically dine on old world favorites while wealthy folks fuss over professionally prepared hampers. Many times we Americans call it a barbeque.
Whatever you may call itóa picnic, an outingóit is a fun way to spend a Saturday. Go to your favorite park or find a new one not far away. Take your favorite food and games. Have fun!
Bonnie Nelson is a freelance writer living in Fountain, CO. If you have any comments or questions, email her at waltbon@comcast.net
CONTACT THE WRITER • WALTBON@COMCAST.nET
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