專四晨讀美文：Picnics

picnics
As summertime begins in Britain,
people start to feel the urge to go outside to eat.
People love to have a picnic
whenever the weather is good enough,
especially people with children.
It's a great way to spend a sunny afternoon.
Even in the centre of London, on a sunny day,
the parks are full of office workers
eating their lunch outside on the grass.
That might be a pretty basic picnic—
a shop-bought sandwich and a bottle of water.
But if people are planning a picnic
on the beach or at the park,
they would probably pack a cool bag
with a whole variety of home-made sandwiches,
snacks, cake, fruit and soft drinks.
They might have a picnic rug to sit on,
and paper plates and cups.
Another item which is useful is a thermos flask
which keeps hot drinks like tea or coffee hot, or cold ones icy.
University students enjoy having picnics,
and usually take along some kind of sports equipment,
such as a Frisbee or ball
in order to burn off some energy after lunch.
British student picnics
usually involve drinking beer or wine too!
For small children
the idea of a teddy bear's picnic is popular—
each child brings their teddy bear along
to "enjoy" the fun as well.
Some people love to have a very elaborate picnic,
and really go all out to make it an occasion.
For a very posh picnic you'd need a proper picnic hamper
to hold the food complete with china crockery,
metal cutlery and real wine glasses.
A picnic could be a romantic occasion,
but only if it's in a quiet attractive spot,
not in a busy park with lots of children playing nearby!
In that case there might be champagne or chilled wine to drink,
and gourmet picnic fare,
either home-made, or bought from a local delicatessen.
Crusty bread, dips, paté,
and strawberries with cream for dessert
make for a more sophisticated al fresco experience.
Of course, you can never rely on the British summer weather,
so taking an umbrella along might be a good idea just in case!