American Fixation for Boba

Chewy tea. Once upon a time, it would have been a weird concept. Today, however, it’s nothing short of a cultural phenomenon. How did a tapioca pearl ball filled drink become one of the most popular beverages in recent American society? Boba’s success in the United States is partially due to nationwide social media stardom. While it plays into American’s fixation with trends, its appeal may also depend upon Boba’s versatility to incorporate flavors representative of a multitude of cultures whilst maintaining its traditional Asian identity.

Boba originated in Taiwan in the 1980s at a teahouse in Taichung, Taiwan when, on a whim, a manager poured the tapioca balls from a pudding dessert into a glass of iced tea (Kaufman). This was revolutionary in Taiwan because no other teashop had served chilled tea at that time. It became known as “bubble tea” because of the thick layer of foam that forms on top of the drink after it is shaken. The addition of pearls or large tapioca balls nicknamed “Boba” became a defining feature of the drink and attracted many customers to this new beverage. The drink became an instant hit in Taiwan, especially around young people, and the drink was embraced throughout Asia. From Taiwan, bubble tea spread to other Asian countries and communities around the globe, until it suddenly erupted in popularity in mainstream North America in the 2000s, where it quickly became a trend. However, Boba’s emergence in the American market was a bumpy road. Many customers felt bombarded by the vast array of options made available to them when ordering their drink, limiting their desire for the drink itself. Additionally, the abstract appearance of the drink presented as a deterrent to entry for most consumers. Admittedly, choosing an unfamiliar drink with an abstract appearance is not the first option for many Americans when deciding what beverage to drink. However, these issues were quickly resolved when Boba caught its stride within social media.

Foodies all across social media started to share visually appealing photos of their colorful new drink enticing more people to try Boba for themselves. With the demand for Boba increasing as a result of social media, more bubble tea shops opened throughout North America. These shops tended to be run by “young, educated, and social media-savvy entrepreneurs seeking a trendy business opportunity” (History of Bubble Tea). One successful venture is Boba Guys, started in San Francisco by Andrew Chau and Bin Chen, both 36 years old. Boba Guys is one of the largest independent bubble tea chains in the United States, with 15 outlets, each selling an average of 1000 cups a day. The main reason for the pair’s success has been that they’ve designed their stores with Instagram in mind–large logos, bright lighting–“to ensure that customers would share the experience with their followers” (History of Bubble Tea). The Boba movement had a domino effect and caught the attention of the youth, particularly college and high school students. Boba shops became the new Starbucks for many, helping to bring customers together from studying to even bringing their first dates. As a result of social media popularity, bubble tea quickly established itself as a staple beverage in America.

However, social media attention always seems to fade away, so why has Boba remained the outlier? Aside from social media attention, the main reason for bubble tea’s surge in popularity was the rising cultural identity of minorities in the U.S. during the 2000s. In the 2000s, there was a huge emphasis on minority representation in the United States, specifically in the form of an ethnic food movement. In this time period, minorities began to see individuals that look and sound like them starting to be represented in mainstream American society. “It’s cool to be Asian. Food just happens to be one of those easily shareable, exportable things,” says Bin Chen, co-owner of Boba Guys (History of Bubble Tea). It’s been long established within society that food is one of the best ways to connect with people and through bubble tea, a cultural bridge between American culture and Asian culture can be formed. Many Asian-Americans relate to this, regarding Boba shops as a connection to their Asian heritage and culture. Professor Krishnendu Ray of New York University compares Boba’s success to Italian cuisine when Italian immigrants first came to the United States at the end of the 19th century. At its arrival, most of the conversation about “Italian food was about how terrible and garlicky it was, but by the 1980s there was the emergence of expensive Italian restaurants…I [Professor Ray] believe Boba has the potential to become just as ubiquitous as pizza.” (History of Bubble Tea). Given the proliferation of Boba shops on every other street corner in major cities in America such as New York and Los Angeles, it’s no wonder that Professor Ray believes Boba will stick around for a long time.

Instead of fading out or staying within the Asian-American communities, bubble tea has continued to spread across America, being more popular than ever with a bubble tea shop in every state. Bubble tea has maintained its popularity for over 30 years due to its incredible ability to change. Once the original novelty of bubble tea wore off, bubble tea had to change to keep up with the customer’s new demands and interests. As Boba became more popular, new flavors were introduced (like fruit Boba) along with new toppings (like grass jelly, custard, and aloe vera clear cubed jellies in syrup). Bubble tea has also been able to expand beyond the Asian American community becoming more Americanized, reflecting the diversity of American culture. For example, Boba Guys (previously mentioned), now sells cross-cultural bubble tea drinks such as “dirty horchata” (representative of Latin American culture) and other flavors that represent the diversity of American culture.

By becoming more Americanized, these new drinks have strayed away from the original concoction brewed in Taiwan. Some might argue that in an attempt to accommodate the American market, Boba has lost its traditional Asian background and essence. However, many Asian-Americans reject this notion. For Andrew Chau, co-owner of Boba guys, “I never felt truly Asian or fully American, even though I speak both languages and with Boba, it’s as if I can cross a cultural bridge between both worlds’’ (History of Bubble Tea). Many Asian-Americans have similar sentiments as Andrew, feeling as if they grew up as a third-culture kid, stuck in a limbo between their Asian heritage and the American culture they’ve been a part of for as long as they can remember. Boba acts as a connection to not only Asian culture, but now as a result of the incorporation of multicultural flavors, Boba acts as a connection to American culture. Boba’s ability to incorporate flavors representative of many different cultures has allowed Boba to transcend the boundaries of Asian culture and appeal to American society.

Boba has come a long way from its humble beginnings in a tea shop in Taiwan to now becoming a global food phenomenon. Along Boba’s journey, it has taken on many different forms, all whilst maintaining popularity throughout the world. Because of its ability to adapt and change into new environments, Boba has become the phenomenon it is today.

Related posts:

The EU Anti-Fraud Office — OLAF — investigates a wide variety of wrongdoings, from embezzlement to customs fraud, and even food fraud. OLAF investigates and detects fraud, but it also carries out…

What I liked most about this article was the attention to detail. The extra shadow thrown here, the movement of background items, and even having it down to their timezone. I am most definitely less…

Aunque su nombre real sea Rubén Aguirre, para todos siempre seguirá siendo el ‘Profesor Jirafales’. Ese hombre de 1,95 metros de estatura, que con sus gritos, en vez de callar a sus alumnos, desataba…