How to Drink Mate like a Gaucho

Drinking yerba mate, a loose leaf tea, is a custom started by the gauchos of South America. Gauchos are Patagonian cowboys that tend cattle throughout the countryside in Chile and Argentina. After a long day of work, Gauchos gather around the campfire and share a cup of mate. This is a tradition that continues in much of South America today: friends and family sit together every day to share mate, talk about life, discuss politics, or to complain about the weather.

Image from the Columbus Memorial Library (OAS) Photograph Collection, 1950

Yerba mate is very similar to loose-leaf green tea. To prepare mate, you will need the cup or gourd, called the mate, the straw (bombilla), a thermos of warm water, and the yerba mate. The preparation and sharing of mate is ritualistic and comes with its own set of unspoken rules.

  

If you join to share in this tradition, there are a few customs to keep in mind:

•          One person is designated as the server: they will hold the thermos of hot water and prepare the mate

• The water is not boiling…it is at the point just before boiling. You don’t want to burn the mate or your mouth!
• The server takes the first cup and then passes the mate around the circle clockwise to the next drinker
• The next drinker finishes the whole cup and passes it back to the server; continue in this fashion with each cupful, working around the circle
• It is considered offensive by some to touch or move around the straw, or bombilla
• When you are finished sharing, say “Thanks” or “Gracias” when you pass the mate back to the server. This lets them know that this was your last turn

Mate has a very herbal, earthy flavor. Yerba is an acquired taste…the first sip you have might surprise you. Some people like to add sugar to their mate, taking a “mate dulce,” and some prefer “mate amargo” without sugar. If mate is too bitter for your taste, try it with a little bit of sugar.

My Dad trying mate for the first time….it was definitely an “acquired taste” for him

If you get your own mate gourd, you will need to cure it before beginning to drink mate from it. Fill it about ¾ of the way with mate and pour in water. Let it steep for a day so the gourd absorbs the flavor. After a day, you can rinse it out and enjoy! You should never wash your mate out with soap. This will ruin the flavor.

Sharing a mate is a deep rooted tradition that flows into everyday life in many places in South America. If you have a chance to visit, be sure to give it a try!

Bon Iver @ Red Rocks

I kicked off my summer concert schedule last night with a Bon Iver concert at red rocks. No matter how many times I go, I'm blown away by the venue. So glad that I am able to go a few times each year!

Bon Iver was a great concert...he has a great live presence (and jammed out quite a bit too! this was a faster foot-tapping version of the band) I also loved the cloth they had hanging over the stage...they had a light show running on it throughout the show, causing it to morph between cavernous stalactites and a ship-wrecked sail. I want one in my house! Especially if it would come with Justin Vernon serenading me :)

Buena Vista Weekend Getaway

Matt and I celebrated Memorial Day weekend with a mini-mountain escape in a little cabin in Buena Vista. We toyed with the idea of camping, but with spring nighttime temperatures still dipping below freezing in the mountains, we opted for a small, family-run B&B called Sagewood Cabins a few miles outside of the town. Besides, we were celebrating our one-year anniversary (albeit a few months late…) and the cabin was freaking adorable. After a day hike around the Clear Creek Reservoir area on Saturday, we had a fire roaring and steaks on the grill: perfection.

Matt grilling outside the cabin

Grounds at Sagewood Cabins

The Clear Creek Reservoir is a beautiful area to explore, dotted with ghost towns and historical landmarks. After a very chilly creek crossing, Matt and I made our way up a trail to a beautiful picnic spot.

Clear Creek Reservoir

On Sunday, we decided on a longer day hike: Kroenke Lake. This trail is a longer hike up to the lake that is described as “paw friendly”…a perfect trip for Gracie. The hike was a scenic route through the evergreens and aspens up to the lake. This is an up and back route that’s four miles each way. When making your way up, always choose the West fork in the trail. Portions of the trail follow the river, so there are a few log bridges to cross. None are too challenging; however, slip-ups would cause VERY chilly toes (see the frigid bridge below). Gracie was a champ in crossing the logs (a big brave dog after her first scary experience crossing the log jam at Snowmass Lake).

Log Bridge

Kroenke Lake is a scenic alpine lake in a valley surrounded by beautiful mountains. Over Memorial Day weekend, the temperatures were still relatively chilly and the lake was very windy. We built a small fire on an existing fire pit to warm up while we ate our lunch. Matt brought his fishing gear to the lake, but we decided to head back down the mountain to warm up instead of trying our luck at the lake. We had beautiful views with early spring wildflowers blooming, but it was just a bit too chilly to stick around for too long.

Kroenke Lake

After making it back to Buena Vista, we indulged in two milkshakes and a large order of green chili cheese fries from a local burger joint…a perfect reward at the end of our hike. I discovered green chili after moving to Denver and now can’t get enough of it! We soaked our sore muscles in the Mt. Princeton hot springs for a bit and then hit the town for dinner. The hot springs were not my favorite part of the trip. If I return, I will probably check out Cottonwood or one of the different venues (Mt. Princeton was a bit too “public bath”…man-made pools with too many people sitting in bath water together).

 Buena Vista has multiple local dining options, and we chose a restaurant called The Asian Palate. The dinner was a home run: soup with flavorful broth, inventive sushi roll, and a laaarge entrée of fresh and tasty ingredients. We returned to our cabin and promptly conked out. The long weekend provided a perfect mini-break, and we returned to Denver on Monday slightly sore but happy and well-fed.

A happy Gracie on the ride home

Blood, Sweat, and Mulch: My Backyard Sanctuary

The early springtime sun, the sizzle of hot dogs at a Rockies game, pear trees blossoming across the city, the smell of steak on the grill: all serve as constant reminders that I have a heck of a lot of work to do in my backyard. Springtime came early in Denver this year, bringing on a new season of household projects.

My respite from home improvements was wonderful but brief. I had always heard the cliché that a house is a never-ending project, and I am now getting a strong inkling that there must be truth in the adage. I completed a whirlwind of major interior projects on the mouse house from October to February, following a rapid and enviable construction schedule. After wrapping up these major projects, I was reeling from the deluge of decisions and trips to Home Depot. I spent February and March puttering around the house, blissfully ignoring light bulbs that dared to go out.

The time has come again to roll up my sleeves and start making some changes. Over the past month or so, I have tackled the back yard. My home is located in a relatively “urban” area, so having a little oasis and outdoor space to myself is a true blessing. There is still work to be done, but the former pile of leaves and debris behind my house has transformed into my own little sanctuary. Here’s a little window into the process:

Before: Here are some photos of the back yard before anything was touched. Note the ginormous sumac tree right next to the pond that smells like poop (I mean, you can’t tell it smells like poop from the picture…but trust me…it really does). There was also another deck in the side part of my yard you can see in these photos. It was in far worse shape than the main deck and also covering my sewer line that needed repair.

   


        


Power wash and Stain Weekend: My lovely boyfriend, Matt, power washed the deck for me while I was at work. The difference was amazing: it was a whole new color! We spent a weekend staining the fence and used Restore from Home Depot on the deck. The wood on my deck was very old and splintery. Realistically, I should have ripped it out to replace it entirely, but Restore covers it with a composite-like coating that gives me a brand new deck! 

Gravel and Mulch Weekend: Spent one day prepping for the gravel and mulch. You can read about my trip to pick up the gravel here. We laid weed block fabric and edged out the mulch beds. My aim for the yard was to be a low-maintenance but still “green” space. There’s not really enough room for a grass yard, so the gravel creates a great area to hang out that takes no work to maintain.


 

              

           

Planting Party: I bribed a few friends with pizza and beer to come over this week and help me plant. I ordered a “garden in a box” package of plants through the conservation center. They put together packages of native plants that fare well in Denver’s high desert atmosphere. Plus for each purchase, you get a $25 rebate from Denver Water because the plants require a minimal amount of watering.

Fiesta: After sprucing up the back, I had my first official backyard fiesta…success!

Each small victory along the way is a celebration in itself, but it's great to have a somewhat "finished" project to grill burgers in!

Gravel Yard

The car crunches to a halt on the gravel path, and I duck as the sharp metal edging slides off the seat and narrowly misses my knees. The 10 feet of edging is arcing through the back of my car, serending us with a symphony of warbling melodies over every bump.

Mountains and mountains of rock, sand, and lumber stretch over an expanse of open desert. We get out of the car and wander through the walkways of the industrial Giza, with pyramids of red breeze gravel, recycled asphalt, and beach pebbles welcoming us to the maze of raw materials.

I pull out my list to get my bearings: 3 tons of pea gravel, 2 yards of mulch, 3 10-foot railroad ties, 8 flagstone steppers. OK. Matt and I join the landscapers and contracters examining the options.

Pyramids of Gravel

Two contracters dismount their Ford F-350 super-duty and amble towards the back of the dusty lot,

“The ¾” will provide optimal drainage and maintain its spread on the footpath.”

“Yes but you know that tastes have been trending toward the 1 ½” red rock for side beds, we could hit two birds with one stone if we combine them.” A cacophany of industrial grinding, scraping and beeping drown out the rest of their conversation.

Matt looks at me with a raised eyebrow, “What do you think?” I size up the tri-colored pea gravel in front of us. “This works…the colors are pretty.” One decision down.

Home improvement projects are long series of decisions.  I bought my first home this fall and dove head first into the wonderful world of renovation. I was a little ambitious in my choice of a bank-owned fixer upper. This was a fixer-upper in the most extreme sense of the term: no water, no electric, no kitchen, no roof…the list, unfortunately, goes on. I worked through the interior renovations one decision at a time: cabinet style, towel rack, paint color, bathrom tile. One small victory after another.

Springtime brings blooming flowers, barbeque season, and landscaping projects. We wander down the aisles of flagstone steppers. Large signs indicated where each stepper was from and why it was so significantly different that the ones surrounding it…though they still appear identical to me. We walk past Colorado Red, Arkansas Buff, Quartzide, Tumbled Red, Siloam Stone, and Palamino Gold. I needed 8 flagstone steppers to match the ones I inherited with the yard. I dug a small one out to bring with me to compare colors. I left it on my coffee table so I wouldn’t forget to bring it when we headed out to Northglenn, which, of course, I breezed by on my way out the door leaving it as a sandy paperweight in my living room.

“That’s it!” I jumped at Matt’s exclaimation. We have our winner: Penssylvania Blue Flagstone.

After working through our list, we head towards the lonely trailer in the middle of the dusty yard to check out. I join the line behind a queue of men whose boots make it clear that this isn’t their first rodeo. The girl behind the counter waves me over, and I bumble through my order. I may not get all the terms right, but there will be a truck dumping a whole lot of gravel in my alley tomorrow morning.  I have fought and won another battle of endless options. The thin metal edging in the car sings a happy and hopeful tune as we head back home ready for the next challenge.

A Machu Picchu Kind of Morning

If you’re making the trek to Machu Picchu, be sure to set your alarm clock early. The sun breaking through the morning fog of the lost city of the Incas is not an experience to be missed!

To make the morning hike to Machu Picchu, resting at 7,970 feet above sea level, make your start a few hours before dawn. Strap on your walking shoes and grab a head-lamp: the climb up from nearby town Aguas Calientes is long and winding.

Your hike up the mountain will be rewarded with the still dawn rising onto the ancient grounds of Machu Picchu. Spend the morning wandering around the misty labyrinth of this UNESCO World Heritage site as the morning fog slowly dissipates. There’s no better place than this to settle in for a breakfast picnic, sharing the the fields throughout the site with llamas munching on the grass.

Fog burning off of Machu Picchu, with Huayna Picchu in the distance

There are certified and informed guides available to walk you through the history of the lost city. I would highly recommend taking a guided tour around the city to learn about the colorful stories of the site. I had a new appreciation for the effort required to transport the stones needed to build the city after my morning climb!

If you’re an adventurous type, you should tackle the mountain overlooking Machu Picchu, called Huayna Picchu. Head over to the gates early to get a pass to climb or purchase tickets beforehand. Only 400 visitors are allowed to make the climb daily to preserve the area’s structures.

Climbing a few of the final stairs to the top

The climb up is not for the timid: Huayna Picchu looms over Machu Picchu promising bursting lungs and slippery stones. You will wind your way up steep hills and weathered stairways to reach the peak at 8,922 feet, almost a thousand feet higher than Machu Picchu. The stairs are narrow and steep—many times barely wide enough for one person to navigate! In many areas a steel cable will help you steady your trip up, so hold on tight! The view from the top is unparalleled: you can see all of Machu Picchu stretching below you and down into the sloping, lush, valleys surrounding the site.

Machu Picchu is an often-visited destination, but you will understand what draws people from around the world once you step foot on its grounds. It will transport you to a different time and different world. Just remember to bring reliable shoes!

Westward Wanderings

My brother worked on a cattle ranch in Montana for the summer. When my summer job took an unexpected downhill turn (they closed our branch), I seized the opportunity to do a Westward bound road trip. We had two weeks and a lot of destinations to hit, and we did a pretty good job at seeing most everything we set out to see.

Beartooth Cattle

This is a slideshow of many of the places we explored:

Rocky Coast

Every other summer, my mother’s side of the family heads to Maine for a two-week getaway. My grandmother grew up in Maine, and her brother and 106-and-counting year old mother both still live there. My mom is one of five children, so the house is always packed and the tables overflowing.

The best part of these biannual trips is the food. We are a “cooking” family, blessed with more than a few talented chefs. Each year is a mini Iron Chef competition, each branch working to wow the crowd. I am a happily designated food-eater and dish-washer.

Beach by our house

After dinner comes a round of card games, Clue, or—the group favorite—charades. We are a competitive family. Our mother taught us young to “breast our cards” as she handily guessed all of our cards in Go Fish. Charades always brings out this playful competition…each team trying generating increasingly difficult or embarrasing clues.  The game that will always go down in infamy is when fourteen-year-old me tried unsuccessfully to act out “Debbie Does Dallas” to my confused team of my father, grandmother, nine year old brother, and uncle….the FULL two minutes. Needless to say, Maine is always full of good family fun, but it’s not necessarily always wholesome.

This year in Maine was slightly shorter due to increasing grown-up responisbilities and limted time schedule; however, our retreat to the rocky coast had all the restorative powers I remember from my childhood. Each year the cousins get taller, but the food always stays fantastic.

Fruit Pizza: Always the kids' favorite dessert to make

Graduation

My sister graduated from college this May, soon after I arrive back home. Her graduation provided a perfect excuse for a big family reunion right after my arrival: perfect timing! Family was one of my biggest motivations to come back to my home state, and I had a great time seeing and re-connecting with everyone. We had a crowd of 16 cheering her across the stage.

The family

Sister and pony Castine

Ginormous new addition to the family: an F-250 Super Duty with an 

extended bed....hot new wheels for the pony.

New Beginnings

I arrived back to the states in May. Since my arrival, my life has been a whirlwind of travelling, family, friends, and general summertime gallivanting. My blog fell to the wayside as I began transitioning back to living in the states and getting busy seeing all of the wonderful people that I’ve been missing for so long. Now, I’m giving my blog a slight face-lift: a new look for a new stage of life.  And here I will also chronicle my summer exploring new areas around the states.

The things that make my heart smile

The time has finally come for me to leave Argentina. Preparing for my trip back, I've made a list of the things that I love—the things that I will miss—about living in Argentina. 

·      Asados: First and foremost. Asados are not only a fantastic excuse to eat an inadvisable amount of delicious red meat and cow bits, but they are an opportunity for friends to gather and spend the day together.

·      All things sweet: dulce de leche, chocotorta, alfajores, panaderias in general....mmmm

·      Fernet

·      Dogs that don't need leashes and loyally follow their masters around or wait patiently outside shops

·      Greeting everyone with a kiss

·      The wait staff at Sarkis (and, of course, the comida)

·      Jacaranda trees

·      Long walks through the city

·      Dancing

·      Saying "hello" and "goodbye" to every person individually

·      Shopping on the subte (One day, I was making a mental “to do” list on my commute on the subte. As soon as I remembered that I had to pick up a sewing kit before going home, someone put one on my lap: amazing!)

·      Mate: As with many Argentine traditions and rituals, sharing mate is social in nature and can be oh-so addicting

·      Meriendas

·      The hours: I'm a pre-programmed night owl

·      Long dinners with lots of wine that turn into your night out

·      Talking to the fruit and vegetable guy to find out what's the freshest of the day, hearing about the butcher's latest concert, and generally having personal relationships w the people you get your food from

·      Empanadas

·      It's OK to show up late

·      Spending quality time with friends without binge drinking (or even drinking at all)

·      Your job is not your life or identity

·      Cafe cortados

·      Less materialism

·      Snack food: frutigran, marroc, 3D chips, Paso de los Toros Pomelo, sandwiches de miga, twistos

·      Free delivery...for EVERYTHING (pizza, ice cream, McDonalds, booze)

·      Patience and understanding for those learning Spanish

·      Friend's Day: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%ADa_del_Amigo

·      The parks, especially the Bosques de Palermo

·      The waiter will not bother you or try and rush you through your lunch or dinner

·      There's always a kiosko open somewhere...and they probably have it

·      Bold fashion choices

·      I got to be "exotic"....being a blondie (and a foreigner) in Argentina was a lot of fun

·      Embracing creative outlets (release your inner artist!!!)

·      Beautiful gene pool

·      It's a highly social city: There's always something going on, and someone to go to it with (cumple, asado, despedida, 2x1 mondays at freddo...always something on the agenda!)

·      Roof terraces with parillas

·      Interesting graffiti/art

·      Public transportation that goes everywhere (at pretty much anytime)

·      Ice cream

…and finally of course…

·      The people I've met here, Argies and extranjeros alike: YOU are the reason I fell head-over-heels for this crazy place

Prescription Movie

The cinema is my personal remedy for the blues. You know those moments—when you’re feeling sad, or nervous, or homesick. Everyone has their own way to fend off the cold pricklies: some turn to the bottle; some turn to the fridge; I turn to the big screen.

The movie theater is a two hour long escape.  I can voyeuristically dive into whatever story I choose. Moreover, once I’m sitting in that squishy seat, popcorn and smuggled beverage in hand, I could really be anywhere in the world. A cinema looks the same on the inside everywhere: dark. You get to forget where you are and who you are even it it’s just for the afternoon.

I am perhaps lucky in that I’m from the states and Hollywood movies have a global reach. I might be seeing it a few months later, but watching movies while abroad I feel like I could easily be in my hometown brushing popcorn off my shirt.

I don’t often feel homesick. Over the past ten years, I have lived outside of the house that I still claim as my “permanent residence” due to my constantly impermanent location. It’s now been well over a year since I’ve been back to the states. Technology like Skype allows me to talk to—and see—my family about once a week. Now that a hemisphere separates us, I speak with them more than I did when I was only a three hour drive away. Although I’m still very “connected,” I’ve started feeling those telltale pangs of homesickness in the past few weeks or so. This is maybe fueled by the knowledge that my trip back is impending, so I’m now homesick in anticipation of my return.

Endings are bittersweet—especially when it’s the end of something that you’ve enjoyed so much. I’m ready to bring this chapter of my life to a close. Ready to start all over again yet again. I’m a little nervous for my return but looking forward to being back and seeing everyone. I’m excited to start a more permanent life. To not worry about fitting it all in two suitcases. That doesn’t mean that it isn’t still hard to say “good-bye.”

So with these ambivalent feelings about the end to my two-year-and-four-month adventure in Argentina, I’m turning to my own prescription: a trip to the movies. I get to sit back and relax, and I don’t have to worry about fitting two years in two suitcases for a few hours.

Patriotism

When it comes to general smack talking, your country is like your family. You're allowed to complain and highlight faults; however, as soon as anyone else mutters a word against it, that patriotic gland in your brain explodes and you rush to its defense. Both are flawed. Both sometimes do things that embarrass you. Both helped weave the fabric from which you were cut. You can bitch about your family or your nation. But God help others who attempt this within earshot. You have the same intrinsic unconditional love for your country that you do for your family. Each person has different feelings towards their country: some relationships are close; some are estranged. Even in a strained relationship, that basic tie is undeniable.

I have been living as an expat outside of my country—the states—for over two years now. The label "expatriate" alone implies a distinct detachment from the mother ship. From this detachment, I have gained a unique perspective and ability to look at my home sweet home through different lenses. Watching major events happening in the states from another place, such as the elections of 2008, gave me a different (and perhaps more complete) view of the place that I'm from. Being an American abroad, you expect a certain level of comments. The shift in anti-American (or really, I should say North American) sentiments after the election was tangible. Even with the greatly improved reception after Obama's election, people still have very nasty things to say about the place I call home. Although the world has been infiltrated by Hollywood and Levis, not many people admit to being a fan of the states. After time, you learn when you should step in and when you should just roll your eyes and continue with your day.

As far as treating your country as your family, Argentines take the metaphor to the extreme. Many constantly complain about the corrupt government or how things never work or run well amongst themselves. No one likes Kirchner. No one likes to wait in the long lines. No one likes doing paperwork. However, to any extranjeros, or when visiting other places, Argentines tend to be incredibly proud, extolling on the wonders of the beef, football, and women of their country. Everywhere has its pros and its cons, and hearing about the positive aspects of the place you call home is great. No one wants to hear a visitor bitching about their house.

I'm not exactly sure when or where my slow evolution from tourist to something in-between began, but I have started becoming defensive about Argentina to non-native travelers. I visibly cringe when I overhear tourists loudly complaining about lousy service or how laughably "third world" everything is. I am amazed at things that come out of people's mouths...especially the freshly arrived. Is this some sort of superior-tourist complex that I have? As an extranjera, I don’t want to be represented by the mobs screaming in English and talking about what a great deal everything is in pesos. I work hard to learn the language and learn about the culture, but whenever I walk into a new restaurant or kiosko, I’m automatically put in the “turista” category with all the rest.

Although at times I also cringe when I spot noisy, drunk groups of Americans while out, I can’t listen to people complain about the states…especially people who have never been there or made an effort to get to know anyone from there. The actions of one person or one government do not represent an entire nation. There’s nothing that makes my blood boil like listening to a stream of America-bashing from people who have little contact with the states. Living abroad has made me realize some of the things that make my home country special and that there will always be things that I love about my home. And no one talks smack about my home…

A few of my favorites

After four very fast months living in Bariloche, I'm heading back to Buenos Aires in a few days. Thought I'd close my southern adventure with a list of some of my favorites:

My favorite...

• Cerveceria: La Cruz, Nilpi y Pioneros: They make great beer; it's not as commercialized and crowded as some of the others; and best of all, I live a half a block away!
• Chocolate: Mamushka, Mitre y Rolando: It's the most famous and most touristy, but that's for a reason: their chocolate is incredible. Stop in for a cafe and medialuna while you're stocking up. They make the best medialunas I've ever had.
• Beach: Mi roca privada (a little rocky outlook near my house, around km 4.5); after that, the beaches on Lago Moreno
• Refugio: Jakob (It's hard to choose just one though...Meiling and Frey are also favorites)
• Hostel: Green House: It has a great onda and is run by three brothers who are really helpful and knowledgable about the area....and a lot of fun :)
• Day hike: up to and around Refugio Lopez
• Tea House: Bellevue: They have amazing cakes and cappuccinos. The setting is perfect as well...tucked in a little garden with great views
• Shopping: Kaia, Diseno Independiente, Moreno 69: features a lot of Argentine designers and has a lot of great hidden gems

If you ever find yourself in Bariloche, be sure to take advantage of these great spots!!