So, checking in with Wikipedia, the phrase "Al fresco" is borrowed from the Italian language, and literally translates to "in the cool air". Not so well-known, however, is the fact that Italians don't use this phrase to refer to outside dining. Most ironically, in Italian, the term "al fresco" is actually used in reference to time spent in jail. Webster's dictionary, on the other hand, defines "alfresco" as "taking place or located in the open air".
Regardless of who is defining it, there is something to be said about enjoying food outside. Perhaps more than something to be said, it's something that must be experienced. Sure, there are a lot of deterrents: bugs, heat/cold, wind, a proper place to sit. But when it comes down to it, be it a picnic at the park, a snack on the back patio, or even an outside table at a restaurant... eating outside elevates the dining experience.
One of the recommendations I came across in one of my "nature play" books was to spend time eating outdoors with your children. I thought to myself, "Wait, doesn't everyone do that?". And then I realized that it took ALMOST TWO YEARS for my little family to organize ourselves a picnic.
This is the first image that came up when I googled "picnic". (Photo credit www.unh.edu)
Here's my problem: when I think picnic, there is a basket or cooler involved with meticulously and beautifully prepared foods for all to enjoy. Also a blanket. And if it's summer, often sunscreen and bug spray. Oh, and can't forget the eating utensils, napkins, plates, sippy cup, drinks for mommy and daddy... OMG never mind. Spending a morning prepping for a bug-infested dining experience definitely seems more akin to "al fresco" (time in jail) than "alfresco" (outdoor eating enjoyment). Might as well just eat lunch at home and THEN go to the park.
So, I realized, NOT everyone eats outside with their children, including me! I then had to ask myself, how do I make eating outside (or getting ready for it) less like jail time and more like the many wonderful outdoor moments my daughter and I have shared over her two years of life? The answer was a simple one, and one that keeps coming up for me: "Stop trying so hard".
This is NOT my life. (Photo credit: www.polyvore.com)
So last week, when it was time for snack, I grabbed the big blanket and some "healthy-ish" popsicles and we ventured "alfresco". (Okay, I also put my daughter in a swimsuit and grabbed some napkins and a bowl and spoon, for when things inevitable got drippy...but that was it, I promise!) What ensued was beyond fun, and in so many ways better than eating popsicles inside.
Yes, the popsicles melted. But this gave us the opportunity to think about heat's role in matter's ability to change state (two-year-old version, of course). Yes, ants were crawling on the blanket after about fifteen seconds. But this was an excellent segue into a conversation about how ants like sugar (just like us!). Also there was some valiant (and apparently very amusing) flicking on mommy's part to "shoo" the ants from the blanket without harming them. Yes, my daughter was a sticky mess. But this led to a very exciting water play experience with the garden hose in the backyard. It was so far from perfect, but it was so much fun.
Since the "popsicle picnic" as it is now famously referred to, my daughter and I have "dined alfresco" almost every day. One day, we brought some yogurt out to the table on the back deck and admired the busy squirrels in the yard. Another afternoon, we set up a little tent and ate graham crackers inside of the tent, listening to the cicada sounds in the trees.
This IS my life. :)
I may never eat "alfresco" like I originally imagined... but I think this kind of thing will do. And though it may not be "elevated dining" in a "perfectly cool glass of rosé and beautiful sandwiches on a summer evening" kind of way, it is most certainly "elevated dining" in an "animated and exhilarating" kind of way... that you have to get outside to experience.
Buon appetito!