"Never?" I reply, wincing just a little when I realize how rude my surprise likely sounds. He's from a different world than mine, a different culture. There's no reason to assume that summer picnics could in any way be normal for him.

"Well, we'll just have to fix that, I suppose. And I can make you anything you'd like! Would you prefer a pie or cookies for your dessert? And, if you'd like, we can do the cooking together? Or we can set aside an afternoon sometime and cook up a bunch of things and you can decide afterward which of those you'd like to try on your own for the picnic with Edith."