Picnic comes from the 17th century French terms “pique” (to pick or peck at) and “nique” (a trifle)… basically snacking on small things. The French Revolution scattered aristocrats overseas, who brought their picnic concept with them. In the early to late 18th century, picnic was still a high-brow outdoor affair, but spread to the middle classes. Picnicing reached its highest art form by the residents of Lake Meritt, Oakland. Fact, y’all. You can try to picnic in a Eucalyptus grove, but it’s basically hanging out in a menthol-scented parking lot.