Juli taught us how to make Mate! We have been wondering what the heck this thing is...everyone drinks out of this vessel at the playground and around town, Steph thought it was tobacco or something, when in fact, it's tea served in an argentine gourd. Mate is a traditional tea drink made of dried leaves of yerba mate. You basically pour a bunch of dried tea leaves into the mug, then pour boiling water on top. The silver straw is actually an infuser. You can purchase these decorative gourds pretty much anywhere. I'm on the hunt for an antique one at San Telmo market. I probably won't use it for tea, maybe to store toothbrushes or something, but I love that this little decorative item can transport me back to this moment here with Juli in our Recoleta apartment. It tastes great although I take mine with a little bit of sugar. Graham loved it!