So after five months of being here in South America, I finally caved and bought my own mate. What is mate you ask? Mate is a container in which you drink yerba mate. Yerba mate are the leaves of a tree. The way you drink it is you put the dried yerba mate leaves in the mate and add hot water. Or you can add cold water or fruit juice, which is known as tereré. Confused yet?
Mate, the national drink of Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, is often consumed in social settings and when there is a group of drinkers, one person pours for the rest, following the same order. Mate is also drunk individually, especially here in Uruguay, where it is very common to see people with mate in one hand with a thermos under their arms. I have even seen people driving motorcycles while taking mate!
Many people also have their own particulars about the drink. Everyone has their own favorite brand or manner of preparing. Furthermore, the mate, the container which holds the yerba, can also be another form of personal expression. So I guess the mate I bought says I went to Oberá!
The reason why I held out so long on buying my own mate is because yerba mate, like coffee or black tea, has a kick to it. I have never been a coffee drinker and although I liked mate, did not really seem myself becoming a mate drinker. What changed my mind was I found out that I really love drinking tereré, which is yerba mate with fruit juice, although I prefer lemonade. Drinking tereré does not have the same caffeine-like effect as drinking hot mate and on a hot summer day, really hits the spot.
Another reason why I chose to buy a mate is because I have enjoyed the social aspect of mate. It is very common for friends and family to pass time together sharing a mate, while enjoying each other’s presence. Now that I am a proud owner of my own mate, I can invite others to share with me. I also hope to continue this when I am back in the US!
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