Unit 19

Other Types of Meals: Picnic

In contemporary usage, picnic can be defined simply as a
pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors, ideally taking
place in a beautiful landscape such as a park, beside a lake or with
an interesting view and possibly at a public event, and usually in
summer.
Picnics are often family-oriented but can also be an intimate
occasion between two people, or a large get-together such as
company picnics and church picnics.
On romantic and family picnics a picnic basket and a blanket
(to sit or recline on) are usually brought along. Outdoor games or
some other form of entertainment are common at large picnics.
Some picnics are a potluck, an entertainment at which each
person contributed some dish to a common table for all to share.
When the picnic is not also a cookout, the food eaten is rarely hot,
instead taking the form of sandwiches, finger food, fresh fruit, salad,
cold meats and accompanied by chilled wine or champagne or soft
drinks.
The first usage of the word is traced to the 1692 edition of
Origines de la Langue Franaise de Mnage; it marks the first
appearance of the word in print. The term was used to describe a
group of people dining in a restaurant who brought their own wine.
For long, a picnic retained the connotation of a meal to which
everyone contributed something. Whether picnic is actually based on
the verb piquer which means pick or peck with the rhyming nique
meaning thing of little importance is doubted; the Oxford English
Dictionary says it is of unknown provenance.
The word picnic first appeared in English texts in 1748 (OED),
and may have entered the English language from this French word or
from the German Picknick, which may simply be a parallel borrowing
from French. The practice of an elegant meal eaten out-of-doors,
rather than a harvester workers dinner in the harvest field, was
connected with respite from hunting from the Middle Ages; the excuse
for the pleasurable outing of 1723 in Lemoynes painting is still
offered in the context of a hunt. (After Wikipedia, the Free
Encyclopedia)

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 Vocabulary
appearance in print = apariie / atestare tiprit
beside = lng
blanket = ptur
bring along (v.) = a aduce cu sine
chilled = rcit(), rcorit(), refrigerat()
church picnic = picnic organizat de o biseric
common table = mas comun
company picnic = picnic organizat de o companie
contribute (v.) = a contribui, a-i aduce contribuia
cookout = grtar n aer liber
entertainment = amuzament, distracie
family-oriented = n familie
finger food = mncare care se mnnc fr tacmuri
for long = vreme ndelungat
get-together = adunare, reuniune
harvester worker = muncitor agricol implicat n recoltarea culturilor
hunt (v.) = a vna
hunting = vntoare
landscape = peisaj
Middle Ages = Evul Mediu
outdoor game = joc n aer liber
outdoors = afar, n aer liber
outing = ieire la iarb verde
out-of-doors = afar, n aer liber
pick (v.) = a ciuguli
picnic basket = co pentru picnic
pleasurable = ncnttor (ncnttoare), plcut()
pleasure excursion = excursie de plcere
potluck = reuniune la care fiecare participant aduce un fel de
mncare
recline (v.) = a sta pe o coast
respite = pauz, rgaz
share (v.) = a mpri
soft drink = butur rcoritoare
traced to (v.) = identificat n
usage = utilizare
view = panoram, vedere

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Exercises
1. Answer the following.
-

What is a picnic?
How are picnics often oriented?
What do people usually bring along when going on a picnic?
What forms of entertainment are common at large picnics?
What is a potluck?
What is a cookout?
What is finger food?
What was the term picnic used to describe?
What connotation did the word picnic retain for long?
When did the word picnic first appear in English texts?
Where did it come from?
Do you enjoy going on picnics?

2. Group the following words related to beverage, as in the model.

age alcohol alcoholic beverage banana beer beer
beverage brew brewery chocolate coffee coke corn
(maize) distil distillery drink ferment filter hops juice
liquor malt mead mellow milk milkshake millet millet
beer proof rice rice wine ripen sake soda soda pop
still tea vodka water whiskey wine yeast
Words referring to

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types of drinks

the things people drink

the steps in brewing

making alcoholic beverages

how much alcohol is in a beverage

foodstuffs used to make alcohol

used to brew alcoholequipment and materials

alcoholic drinks

alcoholic beverages

age
3. Match the following.
1. chopstick
2. fork
3. knife
4. knork
5. spife
6. splayd
7. spoon
8. spork
9. teaspoon

a. a combination of knife and fork

b. a combination of spoon and fork
c. a combination of spoon and knife
d. a combination of spoon, fork, and knife
e. a cutting instrument consisting of a sharp blade
attached to a handle
f. a utensil consisting of a small, shallow bowl on a
handle, used in preparing, serving, or eating food
g. a utensil with two or more prongs, used for eating
or serving food
h. one of a pair of slender sticks made especially of
wood or ivory, held between the thumb and
fingers and used as an eating utensil in Asia
i. the common small spoon used especially in
serving and consuming tea, coffee, and desserts

4. Fill in with the proper nouns from below.

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bread caviar crackers cuisine food hot dogs

Finger food is eaten with the hands, in contrast to food eaten with
a knife and fork, chopsticks, or other utensils. In some cultures, food
is almost always eaten with the hands; for example, Ethiopian is
eaten by rolling various dishes up in injera bread. Examples of
generally accepted finger food are miniature beef pies, sausage rolls,
sausages on sticks, cheese and olives on sticks, chicken drumsticks
or wings, spring rolls, miniature quiches, samosas, onion bhajis,
potato wedges, vol au vents, and risotto balls. Other well-known food
that is sometimes considered as finger food includes pizza, , fruit
and . In many countries there are catering businesses that supply
finger-foods for events such as weddings, engagements, birthdays
and other milestone celebrations. For weddings, in particular, finger
foods are becoming more popular because they are less expensive
and offer more flexibility with menu choices. Gourmet hors doeuvres
such as quiches, pate, , and tea sandwiches are suitable for a
formal event, whereas more familiar food such as sliced fruits, deli
trays, , and cookies are preferred at more casual celebrations.
5. Identify the Imperatives in the text below, and then put them into
the negative form.
Keep these simple tips in mind to ensure your picnic day is all about
rest and relaxation. Freeze drinks the night before. Not only will your
drinks stay cold the next day, theyll help keep your food chilled. To
keep your picnic festive, bring a colourful and comfortable blanket.
Extra towels can serve as pillows when sunbathing or napping. Set
up your picnic in the shade. Although baskets can be quite stylish, a
cooler packed with ice is safer. Make sure foods that are meant to be
served cold are thoroughly cooled before packing. If youre driving,
transport your cooler in the air-conditioned car, not in the trunk. Throw
away any food thats been out of the cooler for more than an hour.
6. Put the text above into Romanian.
7. Turn the Type I If-clauses into Type II If-clauses.
With picnics, its not just a question of what you drink, but also how
you drink it. You can have the best picnic wine in the world but itll

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taste as dull as ditchwater if you serve it lukewarm. Even reds benefit

from being lightly chilled if youre going on a picnic, drinks should
above all be refreshing. You may like the romantic idea of keeping
your drinks cool by dangling the bottles in a nearby stream, but if
youre looking for a modern alternative, try an insulated jacket like the
Vacu Vin Rapid Ice. You keep the jacket in the freezer and simply pop
it over the bottle if you take it out of the fridge. If you cant find them in
larger supermarkets, look for them in wine shops. Or chill the bottles
well and put them in their own insulated bag. When it comes to
glasses theres no need to get fancy, but I always think real glass
beats plastic hands down, especially if youre drinking fizz. If you are
caught short, though, many off-licences sell plastic glasses and will
open bottles for you.
8. Translate into English, using the pattern Verb + Person Object +
To-Infinitive, as in the model below.
Doctorul m-a sftuit s renun la dulciuri.
The doctor advised me to give up eating sweets.
Anunul avertiza publicul s nu lase gunoaie pe pajite dup
picnicuri.
Buctarul-ef al restaurantului le-a promis clienilor c le va
asculta sugestiile i c va termina felurile de mncare mai repede.
Bunica m-a sftuit s pun legumele pentru sup cnd apa d
n clocot ca s i pstreze vitaminele.
Colegii l-au convins pe soul lui Jenny s ncerce s i
gteasc cina aniversar.
Fratele meu i-a cerut buctarului s nu pun ciuperci pe pizza
lui.
Guvernul ncurajeaz populaia s consume mai puini
combustibili fosili n scopul salvrii planetei de la dezastru.
Soacra mea mi-a cerut s i dau reeta tocniei pe care am
pregtit-o pentru prnz.
9. Imagine you have been asked to organize a picnic. Where would
you hold the picnic and what food, appetizers, and drinks would you
buy or prepare? What activities or games would you plan to entertain
your friends? Make a list and discuss it with a partner.

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 Lets Laugh!
A man on a camel rode through miles of the sun-drenched desert
searching for some sign of life. His supplies were running low when
his camel died. Now on foot, he desperately sought refuge from the
heat, and, most importantly, a source for water. Suddenly, he came
across a vendor in the middle of the desert. Thank God I found you!
the man cried. Please help me. Im in dire need of some water.
Well, said the vendor, I dont have any water. But would you like to
buy one of these fine ties. What am I going to do with a tie? the
man asked. Thats what Im selling sir. If you dont like it, I cant help
you. The man left the vendor and walked on for many more miles,
praying each minute that he would find refuge from the scorching sun.
His eyes squinted a bunch of times when he came across a
restaurant in the distance. Unable to comprehend a restaurant
located in the middle of the desert, he assumed the place was a
mirage, but decided to check it out anyway. As he approached the
door, his mouth opened in amazement, seeing that the place actually
existed. The doorman stopped him before he entered. Excuse me
sir, the doorman said, But you cant come in here without a tie!

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