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Bonpland Institute "Quotations" |
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The early morning mate and the first few smokes are the best part of the day, and I sat up in bed inhaling smoke and imbibing the green stuff, dreamily wondering what had happened the previous night... C.W. Thurlow Craig, Paraguayan Interlude London: Arthur Baker, Ltd., 1935 |
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Although an acquired taste, this Paraguayan tes..is a very valuable drink, acting as a gentle stiulant to the nervous system. Morning mate, like the chewing of coca leaves, is an admirable preparation for a prolonged day's exertion, but unlike coca leaves, it leaves no unpleasant after-effects. Sir John Graham Kerr, A Naturalist in the Gran Chaco New York: Greenwood Press, 1968 |
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Mate has over coffee and tea the great advantages of being a true digestive, and at the same time a powerful stimulant to the appetite, as well as a magnificent aid in the disinfection of the intestinal tract. Moise Santiago Bertoni, La Civilizacion Guarani Alta Parana, Paraguay: Imprenta "Ex Sylvis", 1927 |
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Mate is as inseparable from Paraguay as oriental tea from England. Harris Gaylord Warren, Paraguay: An informal History Normal, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1949 |
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I did not like the yerba at first. Like caviar and ripe olives, it's a cultivated taste, but once you have it you can not lose it. Mary Ridpath Mann, The Unofficial Secreatary Chicago: A.C. McClurg, 1912 |
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Millions of aficionados are almost mystical in their devotion to a pungent South American beverage brewed from the leaves of a tree. Sipped alone, yerba mate offers solace. Shared among friends it is a communal rite. James F. Smith, Los Angeles Times (Aug. 10, 1988) |
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The extreme of poverty, as an old tango puts it, is to have to use "yesterday's yerba," that is, to pour hot water over the old leaves that you've left drying in the sun. Geoffrey Fox, The Land and People of Argentina New York: J.B. Lippincott, 1990 |
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We
had settled down for our habitual mate when the owner of a nearby shack
rushed over and invited us in, and we downed a couple of litres in his
kitchen. Ernesto Che Guevara, The Motorcycle Diaries. London,
Verso. 1995
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That was how the trip came about, and it never deviated from the general principle laid down then: improvisation. Alberto's brothers joined us and a round of mate sealed our pact not to give up until our dream was a reality. Ernesto Che Guevara, The Motorcycle Diaries. 1995 |
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Probably the most important part of drinking terere is the social atmosphere one must create. Terere is not a drink for those of you in a hurry. If you do not have an hour of time to waste, then forget it, or better yet, drop all previous appointments in order to partake. unidentified Peace Corps volunteer in Paraguay |
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