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2008 Schedule

LOCATION:
Unless otherwise noted, meetings are held at Headquarters House:
2336 15th Avenue South (In the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Seattle)

DIRECTIONS:
From 1-5, take the Columbian Way/Spokane Street exit, eastbound. Turn left at the first light, Spokane Street, and left again at the next light, 15th Ave. SE. After crossing Beacon Avenue, Headquarters House will be on the right side between Bayview and College Streets.

MEETING INFORMATION:
Meetings are held twice a month from September through May. All meetings start at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

Programs in English are held the second Wednesday of each month. A pre-Dante pasta is communally prepared and served at 6:30 p.m. Call the Activity Line (206) 320-9159 the Monday before to reserve your spot(s) for the pre-Dante pasta.

Cost per person: $8 per person, $15 per couple with advance reservations by 5 p.m. the Monday prior to the meeting. Reservations received after the 5 p.m. Monday deadline will be processed on a first come, first served basis up to the capacity maximum of 54 people at a cost of $10 per person.

Dinner is served at 6:30 p.m. Those not present by 6:30 may lose their reservation.

Programs in Italian are held the fourth Wednesday of each month. Antipasti served at 7:00 p.m.

January 2008

9 — 7:30pm to 8:30pm — "Dante in Thailand" by Nalina Satakul
Holiday Social and Antipasti and dessert potluck.
In the Dante tradition, our December meeting is a celebration of Christmas Italian style. There will not be a formal speaker or a pre-Dante pasta, but there will be plenty to eat and drink and lots of time to socialize with long time friends and become acquainted with some new faces as we celebrate Natale together.

We ask each person attending to bring something for our holiday buffet table: an antipasto, entrée, or dolce — whatever you would like to share with the rest of the group as long as it is Italian. Whether you have a special Italian holiday recipe that you have been wanting to try or a long time family favorite that you want to introduce to the rest of the group — this is your golden opportunity. For those who do not have the time or inclination to cook or bake, Italian cheeses, salumi, or prepared baked goods are always a good idea.

We will have festive Italian music, which may include a live Zampagnaro (Sam Ciapanna is working on it!), and an opportunity to sing a few of the traditional Italian carols. The presepio will be on display and there will be several games of tombola — one in Italian — with special prizes for the lucky winners.

This is a great opportunity to invite friends and older children to experience the warmth and hospitality of our group. There is no cost for this meeting, although we would appreciate some help with clean up afterwards. Don’t miss it!

23 — 7:30pm to 8:30pm —"Briscola for Beginners" by Sam Ciapanna
This will be an interactive meeting where we will learn to play the game of Briscola. This game is very popular in Italy and is played with Italian cards, which consists of 4 suits of ten for a total of 40 cards. If you have a deck of Italian cards, bring it to the meeting as each region of Italy has its own distinct characteristics, or you can make an Italian style deck from poker cards by taking out the 8's, 9's, and 10's.
The four suits of Italian cards are Denavi (day-navi) which are usually round gold pieces and equate to our diamonds, Coppe (co-pay) which are drinking cups that often look like containers and equate to our hearts, Spade (spa-day) or swords which equates to our spades, and Bastoni or clubs which , of course, is the same as our clubs. Each suit consists of 7 numbered and three face cards, although in Italy these are referred to as veste which means dressed.
So now that you know the basics, come out to he meeting to learn the rules, and enjoy a evening playing cards Italian style! If you have Italian cards, bring them - otherwise, bring regular poker cards so you can join in the fun. This will be a good chance to practice the small amount of Italian necessary to play the game.