Valley Sun, CA
July 8 2007

Dining with Duvall: Summer Picnic in the Park

Lynn Duvall

The word "picnic" entered the English language from either German or
French. The French used the word first in the 1500s to describe a
group of diners who brought their own wine to a restaurant. A hundred
years later, the word appeared again, this time in a dictionary.

The French verb piquer means to peck or pick. Nique translates as
"things of little importance." Picnics were not held outdoors; they
were more likely to be potlucks where each guest contributed a
special dish. Over time, a picnic became a meal eaten outdoors in
pleasant surroundings.

Sunday afternoon, I made a tour of parks to see what was on the menu
at local picnics. Turned out that the heat and glaring sun kept most
residents at home during the day. Traffic was light, store parking
lots were nearly empty and most parks were deserted.

However, in Crescenta Valley Park the tree canopy provided deep shade
for a host of extended families that had piled the picnic tables with
hearty fare.

I approached a group of ladies relaxing on a blanket. The male family
members were engrossed in a chess game at the picnic table. I didn’t
realize that my big greyhound Baby might appear threatening from a
recumbent position. After I apologized for frightening the ladies
with the dog, I introduced myself. "What’s on the menu for your
picnic, today?" I asked.

"Barbecue," answered Rozi Hakobyian.

Rozi explained that the whole family had gathered to celebrate the
19th birthday of Sevak and Sarmen Ghazaryan. The twins’ parents, both
sets of grandparents, two sets of aunts and uncles, assorted little
cousins and a brother and his wife were all in attendance. Some
family members lived nearby in La Crescenta, a few were from Tujunga
and the rest made the short drive from Glendale.

I asked if the family came from Iran. "Yes," Rozi said, "we were born
in Iran, but we returned to our native Armenia and lived there for 30
years." Rozi is an aunt to the birthday boys on their mother’s side.
She was one of the first of the family to immigrate to America five
years ago. She gestured to the boy’s fraternal aunt; "She is
celebrating her arrival in America one year ago from today." The
fraternal aunt beamed at me with a huge smile.

Sevak and Sarmen attend Glendale Community College. Sevak works for
Subway and Sarmen is an employee of Video Hut. Rozi said she would be
starting classes at the college in the fall.

In Armenia, Rozi received a bachelor’s degree in chemical
engineering. She said she is uncertain about the path toward work in
that field in America, but she’s pleased that she can study close to
home at the college.

Rozi invited me over to the table to inspect the picnic food. She
wanted to show me the chicken because she couldn’t recall the words
to describe how they’d prepared the poultry.

I am always pleased to make a new friend from Armenia because I know
that hospitality is the hallmark of an Armenian household. In a few
minutes, I had a heaping plate of barbecue meats and grilled
vegetables, a glass of Pepsi and was digging in.

I was hoping for some sarma, as I am a great arbiter of sarma,
lemon-flavored rice wrapped in grape leaves. The texture of the grape
leaves makes the difference between very good and excellent. But,
there was no sarma. I’m still learning the fine points of Mid-Eastern
and Armenian cuisine. Maybe sarma isn’t picnic fare, although my
friends, the Balekjians, serve it on nearly every occasion.

The chicken was ground and formed into a long roll, a bit like a hot
dog. It was mildly seasoned. The pork and lamb were also lightly
seasoned. The best, boneless cuts of the meat from the loin were
grilled to perfection. The simplicity of the preparation permitted
the high quality of the cuts of pork and lamb to shine.

The grilled meats and vegetables were accompanied by whole-wheat
lavash and a good loaf of Armenian bread. The two aunts could not
agree on the green salad ingredients. One claimed Persian cucumbers
were used and the other believed they were plain cucumbers. If you’ve
never tried the short, thin, crisp Persian cucumber, you’ve missed
out on a delicious alternative to the long, fat variety.

Plain cakes studded with walnuts, and tea or coffee, served in tiny
porcelain cups, ended the meal. I had to scoot home because Bob’s
family was en route from the airport for a holiday visit. Rozi helped
me pack up my food, giving me some extra for Bob. What a happy
experience. How fortunate, too, that on the Fourth of July weekend, I
could picnic with a lovely family of new Americans. Hope you had a
great holiday with your family.