Home Today Is The First Table Designed Specifically For Picnics Appeared In The Late 1800’s

The First Table Designed Specifically For Picnics Appeared In The Late 1800’s

picnic day

International Picnic Day is a chance to eat out in the open air with friends or family.

The word “picnic” comes from the French language, and it’s believed this type of informal outdoor meal became a popular pastime in France after the Revolution. As fans of Jane Austen’s novels will know, 19th-century picnics were elaborate social occasions, with menus featuring a wide range of cold meats and pies that took days to prepare.

  • A “picnic” ham is really not a true ham? It is cut from the upper part of the foreleg of a pig – a true ham is cut from the hind leg.
  • Italy’s favorite picnic day is Easter Monday. It is called “Angel’s Monday” or Pasquetta (“Little Easter”).
  • After an ant has visited your picnic, it lays down a scent as it returns to the nest for the other ants to follow.
  • In the year 2000, a 600-mile-long picnic took place in France to celebrate the first Bastille Day of the new millennium.
  • The first table designed specifically for picnics (in a style similar to what we know today) appeared in the late 1800s.
  • After the French Revolution in 1789, royal parks were opened to the public, and picnicking became a popular activity for the newly enfranchised citizens.
  • A fashionable group of Londoners started a Picnic Society in the early 19th century. Their members were expected to share entertainment and refreshments.
  • The concept of a Teddy Bear Picnic probably originated with a version of the 1907 music called Teddy Bears’ Picnic written by American composer John Walter Bratton.
  • Ole Evinrude had the idea for the outboard motor while rowing a boat to a picnic.
  • The Song, ‘Teddy Bears Picnic’ was written in 1906 by British composer John Bratton. The original title was ‘The Teddy Bear Two Step’ but an instrumental version released in 1908 gave the song its new popular name. Lyrics were added 24 years later in 1932. This song has appeared in many versions and is a family favorite where the children and adults alike sing while going off on a picnic.
  • The film Picnic, starring William Holden and Kim Novak was released in 1955 and was nominated for six Oscars, walking away finally with two Oscars for the best film editing and the best art direction.
  • 4th of July (Independence Day) is the most popular picnic Day as the public uses the holiday to visit parks and other picnic sites to relax. Italians prefer to picnic on Easter Monday as a celebration after the major event of Easter and France sees Bastille Day as the ideal day for picnicking.
  • Tales of Robin Hood gave us the first accounts of picnics. His Merry Band of Thieves would informally dine of bread, cheese and ale under the forest cover.
  • The Victorian Era saw picnicking being taken to a whole new different level. They were considered to be grand occasions with tables, chairs, linens, crystals – all provided by attentive servants and of course, gourmet food.

Sources:

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