b y Po l a D o b r z y n s k i
I’ve always loved food. To this day my mom makes fun of me for the time I said I wanted to be a chef when I was younger. I’ve loved its preparation and consumption, its novelties and histories. But what I love most is food with intricacies; foods that need time to be enjoyed, foods whose accompanying condiments require a certain order. The kind of food you have to break out the special spoons for, whose composition requires careful thought and consideration. In traditional Argentinian culture, no other drink exemplifies this more than mate. Mate can be enjoyed any time of day, and for Argentinians, anywhere. They drink it with friends and alone, on their way to work in public transport, indoors and outdoors. But it can be especially savored on a lazy Sunday afternoon, when one has the sprawling hours to devote to several helpings of it. It could be when your whole family is home, watching River Plate play Boca, or when company has stopped by after church to say hello. It’s a communal drink, enjoyed with friends, meant to be passed around and shared with no concern for germs. Here’s where the actual preparation process starts.
yerba mate Step 1: Invite in your friends, offering them a picada—some morsels pick on—and ask them how their parents are doing while you get started on the mate. Step 2: Put water in the kettle to boil. It is essential that the water be HOT, but not too hot. My mom always cautioned me that the only way to know when to take the water off the burner is to listen to the patter of the water bubbling. You must remove the kettle before the steam starts to blow the whistle; should the water boil, the mate will spoil. Step 3: While the water heats up, prepare the yerba: an earthy, green tea-like brew with a distinct and robust flavor. It is cured in a variety of intensities, and can be relished by drinkers of strong and soft brews. Pour it into the cup and awaken the yerba with some warm water, waiting thirty seconds to a minute. Step 4: Place the bombilla—a glorified straw—in the cup. The bombilla CANNOT move once the yerba is poured lest it find its way up the straw and in the mouth of an unlucky and unsuspecting taster. Step 5: When the water has been properly bubbled, pour it into the termo (thermos) to ensure everyone can enjoy their mate while it’s scalding. Each person should pour only the amount of hot water they will be drinking, and never all the way to the top. Step 6: Drink. Disfruta.
Mate is what self-important drinkers call an acquired taste. Immortalized on film is my sister, Juana Manuela, having a taste of the bitter mate. What can we gather from this photo? Teetering on the edge of indulgence and distaste, she is unsure what to make of this hot beverage. She exemplifies a hyphenated existence, on the border of two cultures. Having been exposed to the rich and vibrant cultures of our parents, but uncertain how it fits into the contexts of her own life. 6
