Seattle's $150-per-person picnics are part of a national trend

Color me puzzled by this trend highlighted in The Wall Street Journal of picnics that cost hundreds of dollars.

Driving the news: Seattle is one of the markets for these high-priced, en plein air culinary affairs.

Yes, but: What really caused my jaw to drop, though, was that one of the Seattle purveyors of these fancy picnics has a package that starts at $300 for two people — and that doesn’t even include the food.

• Instead, the fees mainly cover fancy place settings, decorations, pillows and items to create the perfect atmosphere — a "tablescape."
• For $100, you can add a large canopy to protect against the (likely) prospect of your Seattle picnic getting rained on.

The bottom line: I think I'll stick to my picnics that involve spreading out a blanket and pulling out some cellophane-wrapped sandwiches, thank you very much.