Mate

"Mate is not a drink that someone gives you; it is a shared experience." This is how the phenomenon of mate was explained to me.

Mate is a type of strong, bitter tea drunk originally out of a hollowed out gourd with a wooden straw, and now more often out of a metal or wooden cup with a metal straw. First, the mate, as the cup is called, is filled with herbs and perhaps some sugar. Then, the bombilla, a filtering straw, is inserted in the cup. Whoever is serving then pours enough water into the mate to fill it, and drinks it dry. He refills it with hot water and passes it to the next person, who drinks it dry and passes it back.
The mate is passed around like this to whoever desires it, continuing around the group as long as people want more. When someone has had enough, he thanks the server when he gives back the cup, and the server understands that he will not drink any more.

When you drink mate with someone, you are saying that you are willing to share with them. You are willing to share warmth on a cold day, to share conversation as you´re drinking it, and to share germs (yuck, but oh well).

The social aspect of mate is, to me, just as appealing as the drink itself. Be warned, dear Virginia Tech friends: if you come by my place any time in the fall, you will be offered mate.