Literal translation
To carry the satchel
Meaning
to take along a picnic
Explanation
This expression describes setting out with something to eat along the way, the image coming straight from the bag used to carry provisions. The biasso is a satchel or knapsack, a soft bag once slung over the shoulder for any journey of some length, holding bread, cheese or cured meat meant to be eaten en route. The verb mena (to lead, to take along) stresses that one brings this bag along, as one would bring an indispensable travelling companion. It is used for a hike, a day out in the countryside, or a workday spent away from home, whenever the point is to bring one's own meal, without expecting to find one on site. The register is common and familiar, rooted in a rural, peasant reality where the satchel was an everyday object, now used even when the picnic travels in a plain basket or a modern bag.