I glanced out the window and groaned. The sky had clouded over, and I watched as tiny sprinkles of rain dotted the back patio just 20 minutes before I was to meet up with some friends for the first time in months for a picnic. Our meticulous planning, as it seemed, had been in vain.

But lo and behold, the gray skies brightened, and the thrumming of raindrops against the kitchen skylight faded.

I quickly texted my friends to bring an umbrella and packed an old, disintegrating-as-we-speak tarp that my dad found in the garage to lay beneath our picnic blankets before heading over to Wilson Park in Cupertino to meet my friends.

We had agreed in advance to bring only the essentials: picnic blankets, some snacks, a few craft supplies and a full-sized chocolate cake from Trader Joe’s.  Somehow, “the essentials” had added up; I teetered across the park lawn, lugging three large tote bags.

After at least 15 minutes of struggling to unfold the tarp, lay blankets on top and set up the food, we plopped down at the center and admired our work.

The grass was still damp and scattered with charming white daisies. The overcast afternoon had brightened, and the brisk morning air brought an energy and liveliness to the picturesque scene. Fortunately, we all dressed very warmly, and our many layers of clothing protected us from the chill.

True to the TikTok picnic formula that we drew inspiration from, we had packed an attractive spread: a charcuterie board complete with cheese, nuts, grapes and cured meats; a platter of heart-shaped macarons and pink glazed doughnuts; an irresponsibly-sized chocolate cake and a set of wine glasses.

Recently, a trend of using wine glasses to cut and serve cake has grown extremely popular among picnickers on TikTok. This seemingly easy method eliminates the need for bringing plates and cake servers, and the prospect of sticking a wine glass straight through a cake was thrilling in its rebellious simplicity.

But after the reckless-seeming excitement of plunging the wine glass into the cake, we were faced with an immediate dilemma: What next? How on earth are you supposed to flip the glass right side up again? 

I held my breath and, with a quick twist, lifted the glass — and, miraculously, the cake. Success! I let out a delighted cheer. The edge of the wine glass scooped up the cake easily, and the semi-circle of cake fell neatly into the bottom of the glass. 

Eating from the cup proved only slightly more difficult than eating from a plate because of the inward curve of the wine glass, but the novelty of eating cake with plastic forks from a fancy glass made the experience all the more enjoyable — think eating ice cream for breakfast or pancakes for dinner. The only negative aspect was that the wine glass method left a thick, messy coat of frosting and cake crumbs along one side of the glass. 

Even with the few complications we faced, it was a lovely afternoon spent in the park with people I love. But when we got up to pack and leave, we found that our butts were all wet; the ancient tarp that I brought hadn’t been waterproof!