Shortly after the French Revolution ended, the Royal Gardens and Parks were opened to the public, allowing normal, everyday people to enjoy the great outdoors in a fine park – a treat normally only reserved for royal families. It soon became a common pastime for the French to visit the gardens and take along a meal… it was a great way for the people to escape the restrictions of etiquette and formality.
Today, International Picnic Day is celebrated around the world every year on June 18. This year, it lands on a Saturday – a perfect opportunity to go out to the nearest park and enjoy a leisurely picnic.
The things you can bring for lunch? Oh, where to start! Potato salad is my personal favourite, but it does require a cooler with an ice block to keep it cool (mayonnaise does not respond well to heat!). Then there is cold chicken, a wide variety of sandwich options (peanut butter and jelly is a good choice), chips, crackers, pickles, cheese, cookies, and of course – watermelon.
Watermelon is practically a must for a picnic. There’s nothing like biting into a big juicy piece, juice running down your chin – spitting out seeds. How far can you spit your seeds? How fast?
And the games. Fadear park is a great place to fly a kite or throw a frisbee around. Three legged, race anyone? Enjoy the swings and jungle-gym in the playground area, stroll through the Community Garden, or just lay back on your picnic blanket and snooze in the sun (just remember the sun block lotion so you don’t get a burn). By next year, the splashpad should be finished, then you’ll be able to enjoy splashing around in water, too.
So come outside on Jun. 18 and enjoy a fun picnic with your family and friends.
