SAN FRANCISCO, Ca., August 21 — It’s so nice outside, you can barely get your kids to sit still long enough for a meal. And while you can’t blame them for wanting to frolic, you need to practice some dining-room decorum. Mealtime and the elements just don’t mix, right? Wrong.
Mercantila Does Picnic Tables!
How did the novel of manners beget informal dining? In the Beginning. Credit the French, who coined piquenique in the 16th century to describe a group of restaurant diners who brought their own wine. Credit the British, whose medieval hunting banquets may have inspired the outdoor dining trend. Credit the Germans, because they used the word "picknick" well before "picnic" became part of the English language (also because it’s a wise decision to stay on Germany’s good side). The origin might be muddled, but it’s clear that the picnic tradition gathered steam in the 19th century, when Victorian-era writers like Jane Austen and Charles Dickens used picnicking to place uptight social gatherings in idyllic rural settings. (The better to restrainedly flirt with you, my dear.)
Innovations
By the turn of the 20th century, picnicking had caught on in America, with each ethnic group bringing its own culinary traditions to the melting pot. Picnic baskets were the popular option for carrying portable meals, but picnic tables began sprouting up in parks, on beaches, and in other public picnic-friendly spots. Their durable functionality and rustic charm soon spread to backyards and patios; now it’s hard to imagine an eight-year-old’s summer birthday party without one. And there are more options than the planks-of-rough-wood-with-splintery-benches prototype; today’s market features round, octagonal, oval, and rectangular tables, table-and-chair sets, cedar and redwood construction choices, and decay-resistant hardware and finishes.
What’s In It For You?
Style. Rounded or square corners? Dark or light grades of wood? Oval, round, octagonal, square, or rectangular shape? Benches or chairs? Burgers or steaks? Salad or slaw? Coke or Pep… oh, now we're just complicating things.
Seating. You can pick a four-person beauty for a more intimate outdoor tuck-in, or you can traumatize every tree in your backyard — "The barbarians!" — by getting a 14-foot redwood monolith that seats 22. Or buy a nice, roomy 8-footer, add some benches, and seat an even dozen. Whatever the capacity, you'll often have options for detached or separate benches — whatever suits your fanny. Um, fancy.
Staying power. High-quality woods like cedar and redwood, each known for durability, have become the industry's materials of choice. Neither rain, nor sleet, nor spattered Kool-Aid and French onion dip shall keep today's picnic tables from their appointed grounds.
Meet your match:
You want a nice, rustic, durable dining setup, right? Thanks, but that doesn't exactly narrow it down any. We'll just pick out a few that make us particularly hungry for crusty bread, sharp cheese, and Mom's famous four-bean salad:
| Top saver: All Things Cedar Oval Patio Set; $299.99 |  Sharp looks and rounded corners — not a bad combo. Plus it’s handcrafted, seats eight, and comes with detached benches for easy offseason storage. And with the money you save, you’ll be able to indulge in another true American tradition: overeating. | | | Save & Share |  Save $75 on $1,000!
Take $75 off any picnic table over $1,000. Enter coupon code PCNC8J at check out. Coupon valid through 8/31/2006 at | | |
| Top Brand | Buy a wooden table, save a tree. Huh? No, really — this California company’s proceeds go directly to a forest-restoration project. You can buy rare old-growth redwood cut down and left for useless back in the 1950s, or you can opt for newer redwood at reduced cost. It’s beautiful furniture, and the color really goes well with your conscience.
Old Growth Again Store | |
| Penny For Your Thoughts? |  We sell a lot of stuff. Is there any particular line of products that's always mystified / fascinated you? (Go on, admit it. We're retail freaks. We're into this.)
Tell us why you're so curious -- give us a good enough story, and we'll give you the inside scoop. (Nobody wants pennies these days anyway.) Send your reply to readers@mercantila.com | | |
