Drinking Mate

Our friends Cat and Bruno had been talking about inviting us to their apartment in San Telmo for an introduction to the tradition of drinking mate. Everywhere one goes, one sees men and women sucking from metal "straws" sunk deep into small gourds, occasionally refilling the gourd with hot water from a thermos. I've become used to the sight now, but when we first visited the zoo back in July I was up on a carousel with Jack and as we slowly spun in a circle I was shocked by what I thought was an elderly couple passing what seemed to be a water pipe with a very fancy mouthpiece back and forth in broad daylight! Back then I was concentrating so hard on not stepping in dog crap that I didn't notice all the others drinking mate, but after I mentioned my surprise to Cat she set me straight.

So a few Sundays ago we cabbed it over to Cat and Bruno's place ready for our family introduction to mate. Sunday is all-day English day for Cat and Bruno, so both of them took turns explaining the whole "mate ceremony." We began in their kitchen, where they showed us a few mates (one calls the actual gourd a mate), one with a narrow mouth and the other with a wider one, as well as a tiny one that wasn't really appropriate for six drinkers. I'm actually not sure where one would use such a small one...maybe it was like one of those magazines or small books one saves for brief trips to the bathroom. Then Bruno showed us the bombillas, which are the metal straws one sips the mate through. The end that's plunged into the yerba (pronounced "SHER-ba") widens, like a canoe paddle, and is filled with sieve-like holes through which the tea enters. The shaft of the is often decorated with engravings that give each a more personal feel. I let Erin select the bombilla, and she did a fine job of inspecting each for just the right length, width and feel. Finally, Bruno showed us different kinds of yerba and some other herbs and even pieces of wood one might choose to flavor the mate with. He chose a yerba suitable for rookies, poured a healthy amount into our mate, and showed us how to shake out the powdery dust one wouldn't want to sully the tea. Then we watched the water heat up on their stove until just before it boiled, whereupon Cat poured it into a large thermos and we headed out to their terrace to drink.

It was a fairly chilly day so drinking hot mate was a great idea. We all sat around a small table on the terrace, surrounded by many potted plants they have accumulated and which give the terrace a homey, almost tropical ambiance in the middle of the city. There were also different merienda (mid-afternoon snacks) goodies: sweet & soft medialunas, crunchier cookie-like ones, the banana bread Erin baked for the visit, and other yummy munchies. When drinking mate one person is responsible for filling the mate with hot water and then passing it to the next drinker. The first hot water pour dampens the mate, getting it to a consistency that fixes the bombilla in place - it's very important one doesn't ever grab the bombilla and move it while drinking, as that will grind it into the wet mate and either clog it or force mate into the holes and muddy the sip. After the mate is wet, more hot water can be poured in and the drinking can commence. My last bit of mate wisdom: when you've finished drinking - don't say "gracias" as you pass it back to the pourer unless you are indicating that you no longer wish to be passed any more the next time it's your turn. I learned the subtle nod of affirmation and smile of contentment mate veterans use to non-verbally signal their appreciation and desire to keep their place in the rotation!

Even Quinn and Jack gamely sampled mate, Jack's having been "cut" with some milk and sugar; however, Jack was not a fan, and while Quinn at first smiled and told us he liked it, he also returned the mate to Bruno with a polite yet firm, "gracias" that revealed his more honest appraisal. I found the mate to be quite tasty, not unlike green tea but more woody in taste and with a little more bite to it. Not all the bombillas are metal, and some might prefer to sip through a bombilla that doesn't heat up as quickly. I could definitely feel the heat transmitted through the metal to my lips. I definitely preferred the pure mate rather than the one with milk and sugar, and I didn't immediately have a medialuna after sipping, preferring instead to savor the taste of the tea for a while.

After a few mates we headed back inside because the breeze was chilling Jack and Erin. Cat got the fireplace going and Bruno kindly gave Quinn (and Jack) a kung fu lesson. Bruno is a kung fu teacher, whom we hope will find eager students in Honolulu, which will go a long way toward luring him and Cat to the islands! Cat, Erin and I relaxed around a low table set on a cozy rug and chatted, enjoying the warm mate in our bellies - a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon/evening.

The next weekend I happened to travel for seven hours on a bus with a local water polo team to referee their game in Santa Fe, 400km away. About an hour into the trip two mates began making their way around the bus, and one of the guys asked me if I'd like some, too. Thanks to Cat and Bruno I joined in like a veteran! My only regret was that this guy liked his water very, very hot, so almost immediately I had a blister on my lower lip and the tip of my tongue felt singed. No matter - for the next forty-five minutes or so I had a great conversation with the guy (I'm embarrassed that I can't remember his name - there were about eighteen new faces on the bus) and the mate going back and forth certainly helped us open up to each other. Thanks, Cat and Bruno!