☀️🌴 Your summer picnic preferences

[Marjo]

Hi guys,

As part of the Summer discussion series here in Off Topic, I wanted to discuss what I think is one of the most awesome things of summer...

Picnics! 🧺 🍇 🍉 🥐 🧀 🍷

For me, an ideal picnic consists of a great location (I prefer a quiet summer field or a large green park away from noisy traffic), delicious food/snacks and a nice drink, and some great people to catch up with. (Although I have enjoyed solo picnics too!)

I'd love to hear if you guys, first of all, like picnics too? When was the last time you had one? A few weeks ago, I had a socially-distanced picnic where we had separate picnic blankets and our own sets of snacks, in a local park. It also counts, if you don't have access to a park for example, to have a picnic locally in your own garden, or even on the balcony or the living room floor!

If you could decide everything according to your preference, what would be the ideal picnic for you? I'm thinking 

• Location 🗺️
• Stuff to bring with you (in addition to the blanket!) 🧺
• What foods would you choose and what drinks? 🍹
• Who would you like as company? If you could pick anyone 😀

Looking forward to hearing about your picnic thoughts!

[Cleoriff]

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@jonsie wrote:

My last picnic was on a beach in Thailand on Christmas day five years ago when the temperature was 35 degrees C. That was a happy surreal day

We had crab, prawns, oysters and squid and I was ill Boxing Day through to New Year's Eve

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Not at all surprised @jonsie 

[gmarkj]

Sounds... delightful!
We had an indoor picnic for my dad's birthday last week - all socially distanced of course.
Outdoor can be a bit trickier. Last time we tried to have one (it was July a couple of years ago) it rained. Hard. We all retreated to our cars and were sat waving at each other through windows!

[Marjo]

@Anonymous if you do end up having a picnic in the near future let me know how it was. Although it's getting a bit colder now little by little. I actually had to turn on the heating in my flat!

@TallTrees You've reminded me actually that my mum used to have hard boiled eggs when we were on picnics when I was a child. I had forgotten about that! A little bit of salt sprinkled on the egg and it was delicious.

@jonsie That all sounds excellent apart from the getting ill part!  I've never got used to eating oysters though but I'm curious. From sea food my current favourite is king prawns. 

@gmarkj what food did you have at the indoor picnic? Was there birthday cake? 

[gmarkj]

There were some small sandwiches, mini sausages and sausage rolls, BBQ chicken legs, crisps, salad and then fruit and yes birthday cake!