The Most Peaceful Place for Lunch
Ruth Metzger - The Lunch Lady
November 2 2007
One of the reasons I moved to the Charleston area, was to be close to the Beach. This is the time of the year when being near the Beach can provide you with the perfect escape to relieve stress, get out of the crowd, leave your cares behind you, enjoy nature, or just get away from everything.
And while sitting on the Beach contemplating the number of waves between the biggest wave, how long it will take for the tide to come in, and whether or not you can see Spain, you can enjoy a wonderful picnic.
Picnics on the Beach can be as simple as a bottle of water and an apple, to an elegant buffet complete with wine, cheese, pate, crackers, fruit, and chocolate truffles. A trip to the local grocery store or gourmet shop will yield all kinds of ready prepared items for your picnic.
You can also use some simple items found at home. For instance, when my children were small, they liked flour tortillas with a teaspoon of sauce, cheese and pepperoni folded in half and wrapped in foil. Placed in the sun for a whil, and they had a mini pizza to eat. We also would wrap hot dogs or hamburgers in foil and use the heat of the sun to warm them up for lunch. Be careful you don’t leave them in the heat too long or they will spoil.
How you get your food to the beach can also be exciting. I have an Eddie Bauer insulated backpack, complete with china, silver and glasses, and a place for a bottle of wine. I also have stakes that you can sink into the sand to hold your wine bottle and wine glasses. I’ve developed a system to carry my chair, umbrella, because I’m old and not supposed to sit in the direct sun anymore, beach bag with a good book and my backpack. I look somewhat like a pacaderm but enjoy my day immensely.
Here are a few links to various sites to get some great picnic supplies.
http://camptosee.com/picnic_time
http://www.canningpantry.com/picnic-supplies
http://www.picnicsupplyworld.com/
Enjoy your beach picnic – the crowds are gone and you can have the place to yourself!