{"id":33653,"date":"2021-04-13T05:30:39","date_gmt":"2021-04-13T03:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/?p=33653"},"modified":"2021-04-19T17:06:41","modified_gmt":"2021-04-19T15:06:41","slug":"a-french-picnic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/a-french-picnic\/","title":{"rendered":"A French picnic"},"content":{"rendered":"

Few things in life are as enjoyable as a picnic. When I was living in France we would often pack\u00a0un panier<\/strong> for an impromptu lunch to break up the drive to the country or simply for an outing to enjoy nature. Last week’s post<\/a> – with its oranges sur les marches du Sacr\u00e9 Coeur<\/strong> – evoked fond memories and reminded me of just who much I love a French picnic.<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/p>\n

A French picnic<\/h3>\n

A baguette, some ham, du fromage, de la salade, et des fruits<\/strong>1<\/a><\/sup>some cheese, some lettuce, and some fruits<\/em>.<\/span>. Perhaps even a bottle of wine! We would often stop on our way to my family’s country house and have lunch in the for\u00eat de Fontainebleau<\/strong><\/a>. In the morning we’d make a trip to the\u00a0march\u00e9<\/strong> <\/a>to pick up what we needed, load up la voiture<\/strong>, and head out.<\/p>\n

If we were travelling in the other direction towards la Bretagne and the shore, one of France’s well-appointed aire de repos<\/strong><\/a> would serve as our stopping point.<\/p>\n

In my early days in France, my host parents took me to visit Versailles where we lunched on lawns where once French nobles dined.<\/p>\n

\"Photo\"Photo<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

A picnic song<\/h3>\n

The Italian-born French singer Nino Ferrer released Les cornichons<\/strong> in 1966. Cornichons are pickles, but very particular tiny French gherkins. They are a perfect accompaniment to the kinds of things you might take on a picnic … or find on une planche de charcuterie<\/strong><\/a> in Qu\u00e9bec.<\/p>\n