Skip to main content

Diner en Blanc

Image
By
Diner en Blanc in Paris


It's no secret that I love to picnic.  Which is strange because when I'm at work in a cubicle all day, I hate going outside for lunch.  Let's just say that I'm a high maintenance picnic-er.  I love to picnic, but I need to have my table, food that can be room temperature, and usually a glass of wine. This past weekend, I happen to come across a white picnic party.  It was a outdoor picnic, but everyone was dressed fashionably in white and dining al fresco by the light of candles and the moon.  One of the guests was nearby and I asked her about the party ( I assumed she was a guest because she was wearing a very large white had with a bird perched on the rim).  She explained that it was Diner en Blanc; an outdoor picnic that allows friends to gather in a secret location for a summer picnic.  Everyone wears all white and has to bring all their own picnic supplies (food, table, chairs, etc.). Once the party is complete, people take all their belongings, careful not to leave anything so it appears as the party never happened.  The location is always kept secret until one hour before, and then is never revealed to outsiders.  This woman, who perhaps had too much white wine, said that the original Diner en Blanc began in France (man, those French know have amazing ideas!) and now the idea has spread across major cities in the world.  Doing a little research today, I discovered that Minneapolis isn't quite part of the official Diner En Blanc organization, but I think the party seemed to have quite the success without.  It has totally inspired me to have a pop up picnic with my friends!  I'm even thinking we need to bring it one step further and try to only have white food and drink.  Dining al fresco just reached a whole new level!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

#stayhome

By
I look at this photo and it seems ages ago. I took it while laying in the sun on a hotel rooftop in Miami. In reality, it was only taken 3 weeks ago today almost to the minute. Since then, a pandemic has taken this world by storm. Mother Nature is shouting from the rooftops and people are being forced to listen. We are being told to stay home, don't leave the house unless necessary, and practice social distancing. Such a funny term: social distancing. What will this do to human connection? To human culture? Behavior? Our future perspective in this world is about to go through a massive shift. "Are you ready for this," Mother Nature asks? I sure wasn't.  I have been learning so much about myself in the past 2 weeks.  How does one react in vastly unknown and uncertain times? I am no longer in a rush to do things.  It's strange, I never felt that hurried before but now there is ample time to focus on things I didn't spend that much time on before. Connectin...
Post a Comment
Read more

Yes

By
I said yes There are so many beautiful love stories out there.  I have been so fortunate to have one of my own.  Jon and I met in 2006 in Florence Italy while I was studying abroad.  He was finishing his MFA in classical painting and I couldn't help but fall in love with this handsome artist.  We moved the first part of our relationship quickly (we moved in together after being in the same city for 4 months), and enjoyed the years to follow.  After 5 1/2 wonderful years and many special moments together, Jon asked me to marry him.  It was the most amazing moment of my life.  I am so blessed to have found a person that I enjoy being with so much, and even more fortunate that he feels the same way.  We have decided to get married in Italy, where our love story started, with a small intimate gathering of family and close friends.  I'll try to keep the wedding planning posts to a minimum, but don't be surprised if I start complaining about m...
2 comments
Read more

Cake in a Pie Pan

By
Usually when the weather turns warmer, I find myself coming up with excuses to have parties and other random get togethers.  It's really just an excuse for me to cook and bake, and not eat everything myself.  This past weekend I wanted to do a little baking for Sunday night dinner, and found this recipe in one of my new cookbooks, Barefoot Contessa 'How Easy is That?' by Ina Garten. A cake in a pie pan?! It was way too intriguing to pass up. As I began to gather my ingredients, I realized that fresh cranberries are not available this time of year.  Since I couldn't decide between cherries or blueberries, I made two cakes instead, one with blueberries, one with cherries. The end result was a wonderful and easy desert that satisfied my sweet tooth and my itch to bake.
2 comments
Read more