There are picnics, and then there are magnificent picnics.
Every year, thousands of Parisians dressed in white converge for a secret event called the Diner en Blanc, the dinner in white. It is neither publicly advertised nor heralded, an exclusive invite-only flash mob, at which friends invite their own trusted friends. Nobody is sure who decides, year in and year out, which people are invited to create tables for the evening. Last year, 4,400 of them gathered in the plaza at the cathedral of Notre Dame, and the year before at the courtyard of Louvre. (NYtimes article here).
The whole idea just sounds positively dreamy. Could Parisians get anymore romantic?!
After months of obsessive daydreaming, I became convinced that I needed to host my very own le pique-nique blanc, albeit with a guest list limited to 15. After some initial planning, my day dreams soon turned into nightmares filled with never ending yards of white cloth. I can now say that I know what it feels like to be a bridezilla planning a wedding, except I was the bride, the maid of honor, the cook, the flower girl, and the wedding planner all rolled up into one. My poor friend Jen was dragged along for a whole 6 hours of shopping and 3 hours of cooking! Thank you, Jen!
On the Menu:
- Mac & Cheese cups
- Jello Shots on Lemon Peels
- Mimosas
- Raisin rosemary crisps + cambozola triple cream blue cheese + salami
- Deviled eggs
- Mango Salad
- Salami Mozzarella Basil Sandwiches
- Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin
- Brownies
Wearing white and carrying bouquets of flowers definitely attracted some curious stares, but to quote Casey, “there’s always someone weirder than you in San Francisco.” To which I whole-heartedly agree and soon tossed all self-consciousness aside.
Riding the carousel in Golden Gate Park was definitely not part of the plan, but as soon our party got tipped off about this hidden little gem, we immediately packed up and headed over to have some fun. I thought my ride on the carousel was quite appropriate. It was the perfectly adorable end to a very cute-astic day. Meow. ;)
