This is the middle of the summer. All I can think of is eating ice cream; yet they insist on this hot drink. Mate toting Uruguayans nestle their thermos in the crook of their arm, hold their gourd in their hand, twiddle the straw with their fingers. Some do have spiffing looking carrying cases, but those must weigh a ton. Walking around it in the city, I want to be unencumbered as possible; I load all my junk in my day pack. I probably would just have some strapping system. This mate business is so unintuitive for me that it is simply adorable.
Mate is a traditional drink of indigenous South Americans as shown in this painting in the National History Museum.
Gourds, silver straws, cases, and thermoses for sale at a street market in downtown Montevideo.
Some photos of "mate men" at the Sunday street marker in Montevideo.
Man with mate case.
4 comments:
this is really intersting report and pictures. must be addictive and socially expected. but a metal straw in hot liquid? maybe we can design a two compartment shoulder bag to free their arms and hands?;) do they drink coffee or beer or any other beverage?
--wq
@wq, yes, they drink coffee & beer here. As you know, they produce wine. Coke, Pepsi, and Fanta are all big here. We have also been turned onto a pomelo drink, with or without gas, for one hardly ever drinks a drink :(
Googling pomelo drink, hits include instant tang and mango but no description of pomelo. What is that? A fruit?
@Ed, pomelo is a fruit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomelo, but when you buy a pomelo here (Argentina) in the supermarket, it is really a grapefruit.
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