# Does every nation on earth have a picnic table? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 11, 2017, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-nation-on-earth-have-a-picnic-table/776849 "2017-01-11T02:38:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-nation-on-earth-have-a-picnic-table/776849/21 "2017-01-11T13:58:23Z")
Does the question refer to a publicly-accessible picnic table for use of passersby? Or whether or not any private persons possess a picnic table on their estate? My wife and I had an amusing exchange in some little town. We were all set to cook our lunch on the Coleman stove, and were looking for a town park with a suitable table. We stopped a guy on the street, and asked “Where can we find a picnic table?” He proceeded to explain to us directions to the farmhouse of a local handyman who makes picnic tables for people who want to buy one to put in their backyard. Turkmenistan comes to mind as a candidate for a country with no user-accessible picnic tables. Turkmenistan has fewer foreign travelers than North Korea, and does not issue tourist visas at all. But that, of course, says nothing at all about the proclivities of Turkmen citizens to enjoy a picnic in their leisure time. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-nation-on-earth-have-a-picnic-table/776849/22 "2017-01-11T14:48:49Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > … > > Turkmenistan comes to mind as a candidate for a country with no user-accessible picnic tables. Turkmenistan has fewer foreign travelers than North Korea, and does not issue tourist visas at all. But that, of course, says nothing at all about the proclivities of Turkmen citizens to enjoy a picnic in their leisure time. Turkmenistan [does](http://www.turkmenistanembassy.org/) issue visas to tourists, but you might be able to make a semantic argument that they are not “tourist visas” per se but “visas” that can be issued to tourists. You are right, however, that Turkmenistan receives [very few foreign tourists](http://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/news/84384496/Few-visitors-new-airport-in-Turkmenistan-Big-problem-with-billion-dollar-airport). ---
**Author:** ![APB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e8cbc/32.png) [@APB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/APB)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-nation-on-earth-have-a-picnic-table/776849/23 "2017-01-11T15:44:34Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > Over half of the Vatican (23 hectares, 57 acres) is taken up by the Vatican Gardens, a private urban garden for the Pope & workers in Vatican City (though guided public tours are available.) I’d expect there are at least a few picnic tables in all that garden space. > > In fact, in [this picture](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/Vatican_Gardens_2.jpg), in the section to the upper left (that looks like a vegetable garden), I think I can see a white picnic table near a tree. [This is a better photo of the Pope’s vegetable garden](http://www.stephanecompoint.com/41,,,33636,fr_FR.html). No obvious signs of any picnic tables. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-nation-on-earth-have-a-picnic-table/776849/24 "2017-01-11T15:54:10Z")
**Terminus Est** , that picture looks pretty fancy to this American’s eyes. While our picnic tables are also often set up under some sort of shade structure (we call such a structure a pavilion), it’s not usually incorporated into the design of the table itself. More typical is something like [this](https://www.google.com/search?q=picnic+table+pavilion&biw=1264&bih=809&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwi77fOUubrRAhUE0mMKHbBEDuQQ_AUIBygC#imgrc=k9lhJZSC-kidNM%3A), or [this](https://www.google.com/search?q=picnic+table+pavilion&biw=1264&bih=809&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwi77fOUubrRAhUE0mMKHbBEDuQQ_AUIBygC#imgrc=M6pey7rIRdyTdM%3A), with a fixed freestanding structure with a roof, and a few separate tables placed under it. The tables are usually at least somewhat movable, though they might be chained down to prevent them from moving too far. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-nation-on-earth-have-a-picnic-table/776849/25 "2017-01-11T16:09:07Z")
> [@Terminus\_Est](#): > > We’ve got those in the Philippines, too. They tend to be set under the trees, placed in an open hut, or otherwise have some sort of shade incorporated in the design, [like so](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZaUM7tYlaD0/maxresdefault.jpg). See, I assumed the OP meant something like [this](http://www.dotyconcrete.com/portfolio-items/all-concrete-memorial-picnic-table-t6561m/), which is, more-or-less, the classic American picnic table as used in parks and other public places. Wooden or concrete with attached bench seating that requires you to lift your legs to sit at (rather than just sliding over from the end). What **Terminus Est** shows above is just an outdoor table with separate bench seating. If that qualifies, then, yes, you can probably find that _everywhere_. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-nation-on-earth-have-a-picnic-table/776849/26 "2017-01-11T16:40:05Z")
I was thinking maybe Greenland wouldn’t have a tradition of eating outdoors due to their climate. [I was wrong.](http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-picnic-table-with-a-chess-board-narsaq-south-greenland-35297269.html) ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-nation-on-earth-have-a-picnic-table/776849/27 "2017-01-11T16:53:36Z")
And in even in Antarctica [http://www.antarctica.gov.au/\_\_data/assets/image/0015/135132/varieties/antarctic.jpg](http://www.antarctica.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0015/135132/varieties/antarctic.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-nation-on-earth-have-a-picnic-table/776849/28 "2017-01-11T17:08:08Z")
What about [the Kingdom of North Sudan](http://www.newsweek.com/man-who-would-be-king-258833)? ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-nation-on-earth-have-a-picnic-table/776849/29 "2017-01-11T21:08:56Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > Turkmenistan [does](http://www.turkmenistanembassy.org/) issue visas to tourists, but you might be able to make a semantic argument that they are not “tourist visas” per se but “visas” that can be issued to tourists. You are right, however, that Turkmenistan receives [very few foreign tourists](http://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/news/84384496/Few-visitors-new-airport-in-Turkmenistan-Big-problem-with-billion-dollar-airport). They issue Transit Visa to “tourists”, but last I checked, there is no such thing as a “Tourist Visa”. A transit visa is issued for the estimated duration of time necessary for the traveler to pass through the country, generally 2-3 days. Most are issued to people driving through with their own car. However, Russians are great picknickers, and recreational travel stops are a way of life there. Turkmenistan, a former Soviet republic, would no doubt be influenced by this culture, and I’d expect plenty of rest stops in the country, if only for their own people. Northern climates are no bar to picknicking. In Newfoundland, where there is a steep fee for using provincial parks, there is a popular meme of camping out in gravel pits near the highway, which become quite crowded on holiday weekends. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-nation-on-earth-have-a-picnic-table/776849/30 "2017-01-11T21:15:37Z")
If we find a country that has no picnic tables I’d be willing to pitch in to send them one. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-nation-on-earth-have-a-picnic-table/776849/31 "2017-01-11T22:12:06Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > If we find a country that has no picnic tables I’d be willing to pitch in to send them one. Cool. They’d have somewhere to sit to [eat their bibles](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/19/f0/b9/19f0b9f1b3eea13bd5c23dc8b5c5044e.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-nation-on-earth-have-a-picnic-table/776849/32 "2017-01-11T22:52:43Z")
I won’t say that there are no picnic tables in Japan, but I have certainly never seen any and using a blanket is a tradition for hanami, plus the Japanese traditionally sit on the floor, so overall it seems unlikely that they would have many of these, if at all. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-nation-on-earth-have-a-picnic-table/776849/33 "2017-01-11T22:58:35Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > I won’t say that there are no picnic tables in Japan, but I have certainly never seen any and using a blanket is a tradition for hanami, plus the Japanese traditionally sit on the floor, so overall it seems unlikely that they would have many of these, if at all. [Challenge accepted.](http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/video/long-shot-tilt-up-a-pavilion-and-picnic-table-stock-video-footage/146429732) ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-nation-on-earth-have-a-picnic-table/776849/34 "2017-01-11T23:01:18Z")
There aren’t nearly enough opportunities to mention Art Price Jr. and his exploits. For once it’s actually approbate, nay, mandatory, to the conversation in which I usually bring it up. **[Ohio man facing charges for having sex with a picnic table](http://www.fox19.com/story/8083860/ohio-man-facing-charges-for-having-sex-with-a-picnic-table)** Police say that Art Price Jr was seen copulating with furniture on four separate mornings, most recently on March 14 when a neighbour recorded it as evidence…“The first video we had, he was completely nude. He would use the hole from the umbrella and have sex with the table,” [Police Captain] Johnson says. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-nation-on-earth-have-a-picnic-table/776849/35 "2017-01-11T23:20:48Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > [Challenge accepted.](http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/video/long-shot-tilt-up-a-pavilion-and-picnic-table-stock-video-footage/146429732) Down the Google Hole. Apparently, [this](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/a8/9c/85/a89c856fe14027021b4fbaa726925371.jpg) is the standard Japanese picnic table. And [this](https://i.imgur.com/WTj9UShh.jpg) is how you write picnic table (not sure if that is meant to be Chinese of Japanese, but it must be tattooed on an attractive young woman.) ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-nation-on-earth-have-a-picnic-table/776849/36 "2017-01-12T01:02:21Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > I assume that every single family in Australia has one for their barbie (which is apparently required by law 🙂 ) . Certainly not. The barbie is indeed ubiquitous, but typical outdoor furniture (as used to eat barbecued food) is [an actual table and actual chairs](https://www.woodburyhouse.com.au/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/h/a/hawkesbury-15-piece-teak-outdoor-rectangle-double-leaf-setting-1_1_1.jpg) or (where space is tight or chilldren are numerous) [a table with free-standing benches](http://www.ahsfurniture.com.au/images/jarrah-pic-frame-outdoor-setting.jpg). In either case, an “outdoor setting”. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-nation-on-earth-have-a-picnic-table/776849/37 "2017-01-12T01:03:51Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > See, I assumed the OP meant something like [this](http://www.dotyconcrete.com/portfolio-items/all-concrete-memorial-picnic-table-t6561m/), which is, more-or-less, the classic American picnic table as used in parks and other public places. Wooden or concrete with attached bench seating that requires you to lift your legs to sit at (rather than just sliding over from the end). > > What **Terminus Est** shows above is just an outdoor table with separate bench seating. If that qualifies, then, yes, you can probably find that _everywhere_. Yes, you’ll find those, too, but like I said they’re usually situated in the shade like under the tress or in a hut: [http://www.clearwaterphilippines.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Kids-soccer.jpg](http://www.clearwaterphilippines.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Kids-soccer.jpg) I didn’t provide a picture because I didn’t think that would be especially interesting. On closer inspection, I see that my picture didn’t have the benches attached to the table. Oh well. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-nation-on-earth-have-a-picnic-table/776849/38 "2017-01-12T01:39:08Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > [Challenge accepted.](http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/video/long-shot-tilt-up-a-pavilion-and-picnic-table-stock-video-footage/146429732) It wasn’t really a challenge, since I didn’t contend that there are zero picnic tables in Japan. 😕 But I think it’s reasonable to distinguish between ‘exists’ and ‘common’. The Japanese aren’t blond, for example, but I’m sure that I could find a person with Japanese citizenship who is blond. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-nation-on-earth-have-a-picnic-table/776849/39 "2017-01-12T01:51:44Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > I won’t say that there are no picnic tables in Japan, but I have certainly never seen any and using a blanket is a tradition for hanami, plus the Japanese traditionally sit on the floor, so overall it seems unlikely that they would have many of these, if at all. There are quite a few in Hyogo-ken, Japan. The local park near me has one, the park down by the beach has 4, the local arborium has a few. Traditional/historical garden/parks don’t usually have them though. Fun factoid I read somewhere: eco groups don’t like picnic tables anymore because they attract large numbers of crows, who have become accustomed to equating picnic tables with food. ---
**Author:** ![DrumBum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e79b87/32.png) [@DrumBum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrumBum)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2017, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-nation-on-earth-have-a-picnic-table/776849/40 "2017-01-14T16:54:28Z")
We have two in our back yard and one on the 4th story veranda. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-nation-on-earth-have-a-picnic-table/776849.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-nation-on-earth-have-a-picnic-table/776849.md?page=3)