Siempre Mate

Yerba Mate...

I don't even know where to begin! Ok, Mate is an extremely popular drink in Argentina. In fact, it is THE traditional beverage of Argentina. Here is the explanation I gave to my family: it looks and tastes a bit like a bitter tea but is more like coffee on crack.

        At first glance of an inexperienced American gringo, a mate session can appear to be a bit like a drug ritual. Plus, it did not help that my host family also added a white powdered content (from an over-the-counter drug container) to the yerba mix. However, I later discovered that they were just being useful in the way they kept sugar. To describe myself in Argentine slang: "boluda!"

   ANYWAY, Argentines literally drink this all the time. Not only in the morning, but at work, when talking to a friend, and even at to-go at softbol games as seen in my picture below. They drink Mate so often that I vote to change the national saying to: Siempre Mate.

 

I almost forgot... there is a monument on the main drag of Santa Rosa dedicated solely to Mates

:P I even have proof!!!!