Lets eat out

It's amazing how our social lives revolve around food. Picnics, pot luck dinners, or eating out on special occasions. Most people take these social occasions for granted. But as a child, our family didn't have a lot. We were always on a budget, but my parents had a few creative ways to allow us to do what other families did.

One thing that we enjoyed was eating out - at a restaurant, of course. But, we rarely got to eat at one. It was for a special treat only ~ like high school graduation. One Saturday afternoon, I felt like having a special treat. There was no reason other than it was a nice day out, and I wanted to enjoy it. So, I asked my mother, "Can we eat out for lunch?" The response, "Absolutely." My mother didn't elaborate with details. She simply packed a picnic lunch that included fried chicken, potato salad, and homemade cookies. Of course, I don't really remember seeing her pack the picnic, or take it with us.

About a half hour after we left, we arrived at one of our favorite parks near North Avenue Beach. Wait a minute, I thought. This isn't a restaurant, it's our favorite place to visit! The excitement of being at our favorite park overshadowed the fact that we weren't eating at a restaurant. However, we were eating out - just outside at our favorite park.

I carry this tradition out to this day. I don't have any children, but I still have to watch my budget. When we need to get out the house and enjoy the weather, I plan a picnic. I make deli sandwiches, and potato salad, at home. Naturally, we need a fun beverage (adults only). We go to the Riverview Park just a couple of miles from our house. The weather is perfect, I'm in good company, and the view is spectacular.

Another thing that we looked forward to during the summer was the picnic at our place of worship. It had the same excitement as our family picnics. More importantly, we would get to have foods that we