Here is another take on the "wood theme" for the Daily Photo bloggers. Those of you who have been to Argentina must be thinking, "Hey, what is this guy in Costa Rica doing showing a mate gourd on his website?" The answer is that this is a photo from the Tango y Grill Restaurant, which features Argentine food and ambiance. I would not be familiar with mate if it were not for my older son who lives in Buenos Aires. Mate is similar to tea. People put the leaves in a gourd container, as you see here, then pour in hot water and let it seep. The metal straw that you see is closed on the other end with little holes in it so that the liquid passes through the straw but the mate leaves do not.
In Buenos Aires, it is common to see people going to work with a thermos of hot water and their mate leaves, gourd and straw. They even make little leather backpack for carrying mate and thermoses.
Although many of the shopkeepers and restaurateurs in Tamarindo are European, there are also Argentines in Tamarindo, including the owner of a computer service store and the gentleman who handles many of the arrangements for the property management company that manages our two condominiums. I sometimes wonder how it is that people who grow up in one country end up living and working in a distant place. My own son has done that, as he is quite at home in Buenos Aires with several businesses there, after growing up in Arizona. When he visits Costa Rica, the people there think he is Argentine because he speaks Spanish with a Buenos Aires accent.
On our Viva la Voyage travel photo site this week we are showing the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia. If you have not been there, please check out the our website this week. You are in for a treat.
10 comments:
Your photos is great. Congratulations. Greetings.
You are a well-travelled family. My son also introduced me to mate. Interesting information to go with the photo.
I have maté at home (we write it with an accent mark on the e in French). The people who sold it to me said maté did not have the "side effects" (bad effects) tea can have. But I prefer the taste of tea!
Thank you for your interesting comment on my blog. I think the guy knew that many people think beggars beg for alcohol and drugs :-))) We have lots of Romanian beggars here now. They don't make me feel safer than the mentally ill people you mentioned.
I like your photos of trees and animals.
When I first opened your site, I thought you had posted a photo from Argentina. Does that restaurant have good empanadas?
This is a lovely shot and an interesting post. You must be so proud of your son.
I was happy to read your post this morning and learn about mate. I have several of these little containers but did not know about them.
I have never heard of mate before, so I have learned something from you today!
This is new to me. I wonder what it tastes like.
I've heard of mate, but never tasted it. Interesting post. I wonder how your son got to Buenos Aires...it's a long, long way from Arizona!
i love mate!
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