Ode to Bubble Tea

One of the only things I knew about Taiwan before I arrived is that Bubble Tea was invented here. If you don't know what Bubble Tea is then you've clearly never left your home - it is everywhere and it is amazing. There's two different kinds, milk teas and fruit teas, and under each of these categories there are about a million different variations. Commonly, people add these little things called 'Pearls' which are actually balls of tapioca. They taste like nothing but are incredibly fun.

Trying Bubble Tea in Taiwan has been one of the highlights of my experience so far. It just tastes so much better when it is the real deal! Because of my limited skills at reading Chinese menus, I've so far only managed to order 珍珠奶茶 (Zhen zhu nai cha) which is Pearl Milk Tea. You're then given the choice of how much ice and sugar you want in the drink, to which I always answer 少冰，正常糖 (Shao bing, zheng chang tang) - Less ice, normal sugar. Yum.

According to wiki: "Concerns have arisen regarding harmful chemicals that may be used to make popular bubble tea drinks. Boba pearls, milk powder, and juice syrups may contain banned chemical additives in order to reduce costs. In May of 2011, a food scandalbroke out in Taiwan where DEHP(a chemical plasticizer and potential carcinogen used to make plastic) was found as a stabilizer in drinks and juice syrups."


To be honest, I'm okay with this. If I'm going to ingest plastic, it may as well be when I'm consuming this glorious beverage - which only costs about $1!