Eastwood Park Reporter

For entertaining Victorians, picnics were a summertime tradition, an escape from the four walls of the house to the "open canopy of heaven," where the body and soul could be nourished by the warm sun and gentle breezes.

The term picnic came from the French ( early spelling was pique-nique) and referred to an informal meal where everyone brought a dish. 'It is unclear how these potluck get-togethers evolved into outdoor events, but by the mid-19th Century, the transition was complete.

Easily prepared meals were cooked early in the day to be served later for buffet suppers, verandah luncheons, garden parties and pastoral picnics. A proper picnic called for proper dishes and linens, and baskets and hampers to carry them in. Usually, there were no servants at a picnic. The young gentle­men welcomed the opportunity to show their gallantry by helping with the baskets and the set-up, while young ladies waited on the guests.
The Victorian picnic differed little from today's. They were family gather­ings fed by family favorites such as potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans, pickled beets and eggs, relishes, fried chicken, sliced ham, a medley of cold meats and cheeses, watermelon and homemade ice cream. To keep beverages cool, bottles were wrapped in moist cloths. If hot dishes were taken, they would keep them warm by nesting the dish in a carton of crumpled newspaper.

Lemonade was considered a proper beverage for a picnic, although fresh fruit was acceptable as a thirst quencher too. The Victorians believed that salt in fruits cooled and freshened the blood.

Along with the right mix of people and plentiful food, to be successful, a picnic needed entertainment. If there were young people, it might be as simple as guessing the number of seeds in a watermelon, which was carried whole to the picnic and cut up after everyone had chosen a number. As they ate their slices, each had to count the number of seeds on the plate and a tally was made. The one who came the closest was crowned king or queen of the feast. At the more elaborate picnic, the host might have a dance platform assembled with a band for waltzing.

Another summer party was the church social. A young lady would prepare supper for two and pack it in a dainty basket along with her calling card. At the social, the gentlemen bid for the baskets, not knowing who had prepared them. The lady whose card was in the basket then became their supper partner. Did the young ladies ever give a clue to the gentleman they wanted as a supper partner? It surely must have been a thought that crossed the mind of a fair young lady looking for a husband.