chappie

Heresy. I think I will ignore the facts, embrace the pseudo-science and marketing ploys and just continue believing in mateine. If I stop believing in it now, who knows, maté might start keeping me up at night, making me jittery and ceasing to build me into a superhuman.

OK... I am trying to get ahold of my friend, the teacher, he who spread the gumball, Cool-Whip and maraschino cherry tales and, through my post, ignitied quite a discussion here. If all goes well, he should be posting a reply as to where he witnessed such culinary offenses. I, for one, have never been to Korea, though my father was there years ago and raised me with a passion for traditional Korean food.

I didn't reallize that different methods of preparing it produced a different product. Even with the gourd and bombilla, don't they all involve steeping the maté in boiling water? I have used a french press in the past but now just use a Chinese teapot with a wire mesh strainer. Can you suggest other, better methods for me to make it?

A friend of mine just got back from a just-under-two-year stint teaching English in South Korea. He told me of some very odd interpretations of Western dishes. For instance, he ordered nachos once and they came out hot with chips, cheese sour cream, meat ... and tons of gumballs. Chewing gum. Another time he got potato wedges and ranch dressing at a different restaurant and was shocked to find them mixed up with maraschino cherries. Another common anomaly is meat and cheese sandwiches with Cool Whip, which he says are ubiquitous in convenience stores. Has anyone heard stories like this?

Among readily available, affordable rums (or should I say rhums) I like Barbancourt, all qualities, from Haiti. They still use pure sugar cane juice, no blends, and it's a nice medium between a sugary, heavy dark and a clean light rum.

I disagree about the limes -- Goslings is very sweet, as is ginger beer. I was turned on to Dark'n'Stormies years ago in Bermuda where they are said to have originated and are served everywhere, always with the local Barrett's Ginger Beer. (Even in a bind, without ice or refrigeration a few summers back, I enjoyed what we dubbed Dark'n'Warmies). Barrett's is not essential, and I like Goya ginger beer best. But I have two secrets that make my Dark'n'Stormies memorable -- and quick to disappear. First, I add to the bottom of the glass either a sliver of ginger root or a few drops of ginger juice. Next, I shake in one or two drops of habanero sauce (it disappears into the flavor profile with the ginger nicely, and makes the lips tingle). I go heavy on the rum, top off with just a tad of ginger beer and a squeezed lime wedge. This way the soda's sugar doesn't outcompete the rum's inherant sweetness, and the spiciness keeps you sipping.

For the past year or so I've been drinking yerba maté more than coffee and can attest to the differences between caffeine and the mateine in this South American beverage. I still love coffee, but can expect an edgy ride when I drink a few cups of coffeeshop-strength brew. With maté it's different; I feel a lift to the body and the brain without any sleep deprivation or crash -- and I can drink six teapots' worth or more. And if you believe what mate purveyors claim, the stuff is full of antioxidants among other health benefits. A few natural-foods stores sell small portions of maté at a steep price; I've found it's better to order large quantities on eBay. The best deals I've found were for Cruz de Malta. I bought it in large shipments, and it is decent, but I've had better. Can anyone recommend an affordable but high-quality brand? Or does anyone have anything maté-related they want to share? I have been trying to get my small-town coffee shop to stock it to no avail.