Chimarrão 'topetudo': gauchos create versions longer than 1 meter Who said that chimarrão needs to fit in the hand? On social media, the traditional Gaucho drink gained versions that exceed one meter in height and became an informal dispute between Gauchos willing to defy gravity with yerba mate. The result is the so-called “topetudo mates”. The story began with the builder and driver João Oscar Nascimento, known online as Bruto do Sul, resident of Bom Retiro do Sul. After watching similar videos on the internet, he decided to join in on the fun. ? Access the g1 RS channel on WhatsApp João confesses that the initial intention was to "mock" the trend, but the result took on a different proportion. The video showing the giant chimarrão went viral and, in around 24 hours, surpassed 1 million views on his profile. "It was just a party", sums up João. Challenger Francine Dal Castel Ferreira and João Oscar Nascimento participate in the "Chimarrão topetudo" trend Reproduction/ Social networks However, like any good contest from Rio Grande do Sul, it didn't take long for a challenger to emerge. In Passo Fundo, businesswoman and nanopigmentation artist Francine Dal Castel Ferreira decided to up the ante. Accustomed to the chimarrão universe since childhood, thanks to her family's connection with the gaucho goods trade, she used part of the store's own stock to put the idea into practice. “I wanted to show that women from Rio Grande do Sul can also overcome things,” she says. While João's version reached around 1 meter, the structure assembled by Fran reached 1.56 meters. However, the path to the informal record was far from smooth. It took about 3 packets of weed and a day and a half of waiting for it to gain firmness. During this period, the chimarrão collapsed three times. It fell on the table, on the wood stove and even on a cat. In one of the failed attempts, the herb spread throughout the house and even ended up on the breeder's nose. "If I fall again, I won't ride again", he thought before his last attempt. It was precisely this that worked and was recorded in the video that went viral on the networks and today has one million views. How to do it? João's assembly was helped by his family, who will also participate in the next experiments. Despite the public's curiosity, it is still a mystery about the technique used to keep the structure standing. The promise is to reveal everything in a new video. Fran says that, to build the structure, he adapted a piece of pool spaghetti, cut in half, and used wet yerba mate to support the whole. The result was a chimarrão that looks more like a sculpture than a gourd ready for the mate circle. Passion for chimarrão Despite the giant chimarrãos and the videos that went viral, the two have something in common: the habit of drinking mate daily. "Addicted", sums up João. Fran guarantees that the habit also accompanies his routine: "Chimarrão is from the time I wake up until the time I go to sleep. So much so that the herbs I have are with tea", he reveals. VIDEOS: Rio Grande do Sul