The Rise and Continued Dominion of Bubble Tea

Bubble tea originated in Taiwan and has been slowly introduced to almost every country in the world. It holds various names and comes in various flavors depending on the country. Unfortunately, in Guangzhou, there are limited flavors of bubble tea available. However, it is still one of the most popular drinks bought here. The question is, why?

Even at AISG, the most popular drink sold at fundraising sales is bubble tea. Whether it’s International Day, Family Fun Day, or the Holiday Bazaar, there is always a bubble tea stall that gets sold out halfway through the event. The sensation of being able to eat and drink at the same time seems be the tempting factor, according to the majority of bubble tea consumers.

The English Connection is one of the community service groups in our school who recently held a bubble tea sale; their reason was that it requires the least effort from members who don’t want to bake, and sells easily. Prerna Kanji, one of the TEC coordinators, stated, “Certainly many people like it! It requires minimal effort and provides our community service with a lot of profit.”

The New York Times recently published an article that was highly criticized by the general public due to the word choice used to describe the beverage as “alien.” It’s interesting that a simple drink can bring such controversy, but the NYT was forced to apologize for their ignorance about the world-famous concoction. Another aspect that is often debated is how healthy bubble tea is. Nonetheless, Bubble Tea is a very popular drink, whether you love it or hate it.

For more information, see the scandalous Bubble Tea article in the NYT, or their apology for the fallout.