Uruguayos are even more addicted to sipping Mate than their Argentine neighbours.
I had grown used to seeing people in offices and schools pouring hot water from their ubiquitous thermos into a Mate (gourd cup) full of hierba de mate (the dried, shredded leaf of a native tree) and sipping the infusion through a bombilla (metal straw). The custom is very social, involving sharing the Mate with whomever is present.
But in Uruguay, the mate culture is taken to the extreme. People walk the streets, a thermos tucked under one arm, the Mate in their hand, bombilla at the ready, and sip while walking the dog, conversing with friends, texting or window shopping. If ever there was a culture that needed a third arm, it is Uruguay’s.
(Sartorial splendor notwithstanding...)
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