picnic ideas?

[forsaken6661]

sooooooo i asked a pretty girl out on a date and i wanted to do something special and i decided on a picnic. but i have no idea how to make it interesting i want something other then just sandwiches or something different to go with them. does anyone have any good ideas?

[masherscf]

sooooooo i asked a pretty girl out on a date and i wanted to do something special and i decided on a picnic. but i have no idea how to make it interesting i want something other then just sandwiches or something different to go with them. does anyone have any good ideas?

Rather than picnicking advice, I'll give you dating advice. A picnic is a great third date idea...but not a first date. Make the first date a light lunch at a cafe or coffee shop. This way you can gauge the woman's interests and tastes before you construct an elaborate picnic. Imagine the failuire if you prepare stuff that she's allergic to. Cooking is a awesome way to impress the ladies. But, I would save it for later. Besides, if she's a loser you don't want to go to all that trouble.

[forsaken6661]

yaaaa well thing is we have already done all that stuff been out to eat been to the movies been to my place for movies and everything like that it just took me a long time to have the balls to actually tell her i like her and ask her on an actual date so i wanted to do something different.

[ronaldo]

The challenge, of course, is to prepare something that tastes good lukewarm unless there is a grill nearby. Sandwiches are good at room temp which is why they are a favorite in the basket.

First off, we need your plans. Are you planning on cooking something and then going to pick her up or preparing it in advance and taking cold food? How long will the food be in transit either after just being cooked or pulled from the fridge before it is eaten? Will you be just driving to a spot or will there be hiking involved as well? At a table, on a blanket, or on a lap? Will there be a grill at the location?

[tokenuser]

Roast chicken (cold and home cooked, or picked up from you local supermarket hot)
Potato salad. Make your own.
Panzanella salad.
Orangina or similar sparkling soda (Italian soda, French lemonade, etc)

[frankiethewaffle]

yaaaa well thing is we have already done all that stuff been out to eat been to the movies been to my place for movies and everything like that it just took me a long time to have the balls to actually tell her i like her and ask her on an actual date so i wanted to do something different.

I agree with Masher. But to follow him, if you have done all of that, save the picinic to propose, not show off cooking skills. To show off, see if you can convince a lunch time place to let you cook your meals. Hmmmm?
Keep everything simple, not better than the last. that will show how shallow or not she is. But for the romantic stuff, save it for the happ....well the ending.

[masherscf]

Now the picnicing advice.

I really like the wine and cheese route. Get a nice selection of soft and hard cheeses. Maybe a fresh baguette. I really like hummus with lightly toasted pita wedges and crudete. Focus on light fare that can be easily consumed while sitting on the grass. Follow up with ice cream from a nearby vender.

[tokenuser]

I thought of cheese too, but you run the risk of the cheese sweating, and you need a couple of different types to make it work well.

When I travel (domestically or internationally), I often carry a couple of plastic cups, a corkscrew (packed, not carryon), and a couple of plastic plates. Internationally, I love hitting the local markets for local cured meats and cheeses, domestically I prefer something fresh over a hamburger.

We have had impromptu picnics in Tuscany, eating crusty ciabata bread, pate, and wild boar proscutto; in Paris with bagette, brie cheese, and oil packed sundried tomatoes; in Ireland (technically the Irish sea on the ferry I guess) we had a punnet of fresh berries and a tub of clotted cream.

Point is that you keep it simple. Make it easy to share. Keep the need for coolers and cleanup to a minimum.

Oh. I second Mashers ice cream idea ... but I am a sucker for ice cream and gelato.

[ronaldo]

That is why I was reluctant to start giving advice. If the car is 30 feet from the picnic spot you can do quite a bit more. If you are hiking to a spot with beautiful scenery you can do much less. Now personally I would take a hike to a beautiful waterfall with a PB&J sammich over sitting at a park with noisy kids in the background and eat gourmet food.

A great picnic spot is aboard a boat. If you have a lake nearby with a marina that rents it is a wonderful way to spend a day with a date.

[masherscf]

I thought about Pate as well.