If you’ve ever seen people sitting on parks or, if you’re in Uruguay, wandering around a supermarket with a thermos under one arm and a ‘mate’ in the other (a dried gourd thingie), sipping on a long metal straw, then you’ve witnessed the popular Argentine act that is ‘mate’ drinking. Personally, I hate the stuff (unless it’s drowned in sugar), but I guess you could say it’s a sort of national pastime.
‘Mate’ is not only the gourd, it’s the drink itself, the mixture of ‘yerba’ with ‘agua caliente’. ‘Yerba’ is like this chopped herbal weed stuff, only you don’t smoke it, you pour it into the ‘mate’ and add hot water to make ‘mate’, which sounds weird but hey, that’s just the way it is.
‘Mate’ is a sort of social activity, where people come together to share this bitter drink, especially popular among students or friends hanging out. Don’t be the first one to serve the ‘mate’ though, or you’ll become the ‘cebador’ and be in charge of pouring water in every time.
If you’re meeting new people and they offer you a ‘mate’ try not to reject them; the offer is like a peace offering in which you are being welcomed into their circle. Plus, it’s not like it’s that hard to sip the damn thing and smile; you can always brush your teeth later, and rejecting the second drink is fine.
Many students drink ‘mate’ instead of coffee when they need to stay up late getting ready for exams, and many people going on road-trips or needing to drive for long hours drink it to keep awake. If you realize you do enjoy ‘mate’, be careful you don’t drink too much though, as it is said to give you ‘cagadera’.
El Pendejo Porteño
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