"[...] But, the Yerba Mate Association of the Americas states that it is always incorrect to accent the second syllable, since this creates confusion with an unrelated Spanish word for killing. [...]"
Ah, silly English speakers. I bet you also write "habañero" instead of "habanero", you say "tamale" instead of "tamal", you say "bravo" regardless of the gender or amount of people congratulated, and you pronounce "parmesan" (which comes from French) with a ZH sound
It's only "maté" in Portuguese, apparently. In Spanish-speaking countries, is pronounced "MAH-teh". And it's not a "tea", for crying out loud, it's an infusion.
actually, you are supposed to fill the mate with yerba up to half of it, close the mate with either your hand or a makeshift lid, shake it gently, then leave the yerba at 45 degrees, so you can put the bombilla in the space left by the yerba. once with the bombilla touching the bottom of the mate, level again and fill with more yerba until you have about only 20% empty. pour some warm water, suck it, and spit it out (the first cebada, as we call each serving, is gross, and only given as a mean of insult). NOW you can pour the hot water, but very carefully, and only around the bombilla, doing your best not to getting any of the top yerba wet, because that way the mate will "wash" earlier than it should.
one more thing, you are supposed to give the mate with the bombilla pointing to the person you're cebando (serving), and if someone's cebando you, you only say "thank you" when you don't want any more mates.
I don't know about Argentina, but in Brazil it's a social thing in which one person prepares it for 3~10 people; normally the one who loves it enough to want to get good at these often frustrating and error-prone steps. I was just a drinker for half a year before I decided I wanted to learn to make it.
Now that I moved to Ontario and I have no other South South Americans in the office, and it's only for myself, I migrated to using a french press mug instead. There's still a fair bit of the scent (my favorite part), it doesn't lose temperature, and I can honestly say that it's the source of over 95% of my caffeine intake. I never liked coffee or carbonated drinks anyway (or beer, for that matter).
Oh, Sage words once again!
ReplyDeleteIt's too caffeinated anyway!
DeleteActually, "Mate" is unaccented (drop the the tilde/acute accent), but other than that, funny :3.
ReplyDeleteSorry, but wikipedia agrees with me! Actually looks like they're both right.
Delete"[...] But, the Yerba Mate Association of the Americas states that it is always incorrect to accent the second syllable, since this creates confusion with an unrelated Spanish word for killing. [...]"
Delete:-P
Pff. They WOULD say that.
DeleteAh, silly English speakers. I bet you also write "habañero" instead of "habanero", you say "tamale" instead of "tamal", you say "bravo" regardless of the gender or amount of people congratulated, and you pronounce "parmesan" (which comes from French) with a ZH sound
DeleteIt's only "maté" in Portuguese, apparently. In Spanish-speaking countries, is pronounced "MAH-teh". And it's not a "tea", for crying out loud, it's an infusion.
DeleteI think that's a new record for me being wrong about things, and that is definitely saying something
Deleteactually, you are supposed to fill the mate with yerba up to half of it, close the mate with either your hand or a makeshift lid, shake it gently, then leave the yerba at 45 degrees, so you can put the bombilla in the space left by the yerba. once with the bombilla touching the bottom of the mate, level again and fill with more yerba until you have about only 20% empty. pour some warm water, suck it, and spit it out (the first cebada, as we call each serving, is gross, and only given as a mean of insult). NOW you can pour the hot water, but very carefully, and only around the bombilla, doing your best not to getting any of the top yerba wet, because that way the mate will "wash" earlier than it should.
ReplyDeleteone more thing, you are supposed to give the mate with the bombilla pointing to the person you're cebando (serving), and if someone's cebando you, you only say "thank you" when you don't want any more mates.
just common etiquette...
Easy as 1 2 3...!
DeleteI'm Argentinean and I don't get why you would run while preparing/drinking mate...
ReplyDeleteI don't know about Argentina, but in Brazil it's a social thing in which one person prepares it for 3~10 people; normally the one who loves it enough to want to get good at these often frustrating and error-prone steps. I was just a drinker for half a year before I decided I wanted to learn to make it.
ReplyDeleteNow that I moved to Ontario and I have no other South South Americans in the office, and it's only for myself, I migrated to using a french press mug instead. There's still a fair bit of the scent (my favorite part), it doesn't lose temperature, and I can honestly say that it's the source of over 95% of my caffeine intake. I never liked coffee or carbonated drinks anyway (or beer, for that matter).