We often hear America described as a convergence point of cultures from all around the world. We welcome entire communities of people from every corner freely and with open arms to share their food, customs and forms of leisure. This gathering of ideas sparks fantastic potential for creativity and opens doors for collaboration.
In our experience, this is especially true for the American picnic culture. Picnic and outdoor event traditions from across the world come together here and contribute to an amazingly distinct picnicking legacy.
We want to give you the chance to draw inspiration from many different cultures when creating your picnic checklist. Here are five different descriptions of picnic traditions from around the world that you can incorporate into your next outdoor event!
Argentina
Argentina is a South American nation known for dulce de leche, vast apple orchards and a passionate love of soccer. Fresh apples with caramel and chopped nuts for dipping make for a delicious picnic snack for children or adults. As outdoor picnic activities go, a friendly soccer game is a welcome fixture just about anywhere you go.
Australia
The “Land Down Under” is romanticized for its diverse and rugged outdoors. The famed Outback is home to some of the most unique and interesting wildlife in the world. Aussies have a long-standing legacy of hunting. So how about a delicious whole hog roast? You can follow that up with a game of Skippyroo, an Australian adaptation of the game “Guess Who?”
Japan
Residents in the “Land of the Rising Sun” have a particular affinity for one of the sweetest and most popular picnic fruits out there: watermelon! Serving fresh watermelon slices at an “Around the World” picnic is sure to make a splash, but how about featuring it in a Japanese game of suikawari? Guests take turns trying to crack open a watermelon while blindfolded on a clean surface with a stick. Once broken, all the guests can enjoy fresh slices.
Greece
The birthplace of the Olympiad and modern mythology is a visually stunning nation with a temperate Mediterranean climate and lush green mountainsides. Sounds like perfect picnic weather! Some Greek chicken skewers with rice or a Greek country salad make splendid additions to any picnic menu. Afterwards, you can follow it up with a game of “statues.” First innovated in Greece, we here in America know the game more commonly as freeze tag.
Germany
This Central European nation is well-known for its particular brand of artisanal quality in just about everything they do. This especially goes for their brats, beer and German potato salad—all spectacular additions to any picnic menu. Germany is the most recent World Cup champion, and while soccer (fußball) is far and away the most popular sport there, cycling is also widely enjoyed among the citizenry. Adding a fun cycling route to your “Around the World” themed picnic would certainly give it a distinct feel of travel that would resonate well and that guests would enjoy.
Like most American traditions, the great American picnic tradition is the product of immigrants and cultures from all over the world coming together and sharing their ways of life. With a little imagination and expanded horizons, your next picnic event can become even more memorable.
The expert team at Tasty Catering excels at making these brands of memorable picnic events. If you’re ready to begin planning yours, contact us online or give us a call at 847.593.2000.
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