Imbibed!

Here I am, in my kitchen, drinking extremely hot liquid (almost boiling) out of a gourd filled with a vile, bitter-tasting, herb through a metal straw, scalding my lips, roof of mouth and worst of all, tongue. Why, you may ask? Why indeed! The most popular drink in all of Argentina (by a landslide, too) is mate, an inexpensive, hay-like, tea that is consumed in very traditional ways.

First of all, fill the mate (the name of the gourd as well as the herb) two thirds full of loose tea. Heat your water until it is not quite boiling, but about too, because of the supposedly different taste that boiled water imparts on the tea. After filling the mate the rest of the way with water, sip as fast as you can through the straw so as not to let it cool down. Never, ever, pass the mate. Finish it, in one slurp, if possible.

Saying "gracias," the traditional word of thanks here in Argentina, is akin to saying, "No, thank you" in English, a polite refusal. A silly habit that I was taught was to always thank someone for the gift they´re offering, so instead, you must comment on where the mate was purchased, or, "¡Que rico!" the best response, especially for a foreigner.

One should never move the bombilla (pronounced bohm-BEE-shah), because it stirs up the tea and lodges it in the straw, not a pleasant experience for the drinker or the cleaner.

All of the "criollos" (cree-OH-shohs), or native Argentines, drink mate, but los "Porteños," or people from Buenos Aires drink it "amargo" (bitter). Those from the interior drink it sweet with sugar. When I went to the campo, I tried mate with sugar and disliked it, I prefer the bitter.

Overall though, I prefer this drink: the Café Cortado. It is a shot of espresso (the espresso here tastes different, toasted and almost nutty) and an equal amount of steamed milk, often topped with foam. I stir in a packet of sugar, and am content for three hours, reading and sipping. A great tradition here, is the bringing of a cookie and a glass of water with any coffee you order. I can hear Borders cursing that they lost one of their best customers (at least in Santa Fe), because I am a total convert.