{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"","standfirst":"For Black History Month, Scouts volunteer Lucinda Seber thinks about the cultural significance of card games for her family, and teaches us how to play one of her favourites","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/4019/blackhistorymonth_twitter_v1.png","width":910,"height":512,"altText":"","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EIn Barbados, card games are an important part of the culture. If you ever find yourself on the sunny island, take an evening stroll along the palm trees and you can be certain to pass a family laughing, shouting, and slamming cards down on a white plastic table as the sun begins to set.\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EIn particular, playing rummy is a Bajan tradition, one I came to know well during my trips back.\u00A0Every evening, around 5pm, we\u2019d head out to the veranda with a cold drink and prepare ourselves for an energetic game of rummy.\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EAs we\u2019re now in Black History Month, I wanted to share just a small snapshot of how we like to have fun, from my family to yours.\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESet the scene\u003C/strong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFirst, we need snacks. In my family, the only snack worthy of an evening game of rummy is plantain. Now, this\u2019ll really separate the crowd in Barbados; how do you eat your plantain?\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EIf you don\u2019t know what plantain is, it\u2019s a sweet banana that\u2019s the perfect combination of savoury and sweet. Some people will chop theirs and bake them into thin crisps (\u003Ca href=\u0022https://downshiftology.com/recipes/baked-plantain-chips/\u0022\u003Ehttps://downshiftology.com/recipes/baked-plantain-chips/\u003C/a\u003E), while others will keep it soft by lightly frying and sprinkling with salt (\u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.thespruceeats.com/fried-ripe-plantains-recipe-2138201\u0022\u003Ehttps://www.thespruceeats.com/fried-ripe-plantains-recipe-2138201\u003C/a\u003E). Personally, I prefer to fry mine, but I\u2019ve been known to eat a crisp or two.\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe only thing left is music. Some of my favourite black artists are Otis Redding and Ben E. King. I\u2019d recommend putting on \u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTVjnBo96Ug\u0022\u003ESitting on the dock of the bay\u003C/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwZNL7QVJjE\u0022\u003EStand by me\u003C/a\u003E.\u00A0Both will get you swaying but make sure you hold those cards close to your chest.\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIt\u2019s time to play\u003C/strong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ERummy is fairly easy. The best part of the game is putting down your mobile phones and spending time with family and friends. And a slightly unfair but traditional\u00A0rule in my family: if you win but don\u2019t stand up and yell rummy at the top of your voice, we simply keep playing.\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EStep 1:\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EDeal seven cards to each player. Place any remaining cards face down in a pile.\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EStep 2:\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ELook at your cards. You need to make two sets of the same number or the same suit.\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EStep 3:\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EOne at a time, go around the table and pick up a card.\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EStep 4:\u00A0\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EYou can either keep your card \u2013 if it\u2019s useful to you \u2013 or put it down. If you keep it, you must put one of your other cards down. You always have seven cards.\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EStep 5:\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ERemember, once your hand comes off that card, it\u2019s gone.\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"09 October 2019","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[],"relatedLinks":[],"id":40258,"nodeName":"Celebrate Black History Month with a Caribbean card game","title":"Celebrate Black History Month with a Caribbean card game","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/4019/blackhistorymonth_twitter_v1.png?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1d9becd31dd4c60","caption":"Blackhistorymonth Twitter V1","type":"png","size":135819,"width":910,"height":512,"altText":""},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"Celebrate Black History Month with a Caribbean card game","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"To celebrate black history month, here are the rules to a Caribbean card game, rummy.","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC80MDI1OCJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2019/october/celebrate-black-history-month-with-a-caribbean-card-game/"}