Al fresco dining

Al fresco dining

Al fresco dining or dining alfresco is eating outside.

Culture

In temperate climates, al fresco dining is especially popular in the summer months when temperatures and weather are most favorable.^[1] It is a style of dining that is casual and often party-like in its atmosphere.^[1]

In order to promote and accommodate the pedestrian activity and vibrancy associated with al fresco dining, some communities have passed ordinances permitting it, including the service of food and beverages to customers at pavement tables until late at night.^[2]

The term has also been borrowed by the automotive community as al fresco motoring, to describe the activity of driving in a convertible with the roof retracted, since under such conditions the driver is exposed to the open air.

Etymology

The phrase al fresco is borrowed from Italian for "in the cool [air]", although it is not in current use in that language to refer to dining outside. Instead, Italians use the phrases fuori or all'aperto.^[3] In Italian, the expression al fresco usually refers to spending time in jail.^[4] The Spanish meaning of al fresco is similar to Italian, and Spaniards use fuera or al aire libre to refer to dining.

References

Look up al fresco in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.