a note about mate'

For those who are unfamiliar (as I was when I first got here), mate' is a kind of tea that is commonly consumed in Paraguay. It is made by crushing dry yerba mate' in a long sort of mug (called a guampa, and usually made from the horn of a cow), then topping it with hot water from a thermos, and sipping it through a metal "straw" (called a bombilla) which has a filter on the bottom. Mate' is consumed at meetings, around the breakfast table, on the porch in the evening, really all the time. One person has the thermos by their side, fills the guampa with hot water, and passes it to another person. Once that person has finished off the mate' in the guampa, they pass it back to be refilled and offered to another person. Basically everyone takes turns, drinking about 3 gulps at a time, using the same guampa and bombilla, until they are satisfied. There is another form of mate', called terere, which is exactly the same except cold water is used, which usually contains leaves and plant-things that have certain healing qualities (also known as 'remedios').