Maybe it’s time to start cooking some boba. Photo courtesy of freshman Aidan Field.
Everyday at 3:40 p.m. San Luis Obispo High School students flood off campus, many with cash in their pockets and money to spend. The several boba shops in walking distance from our high school usually have a line out the door filled with high school and college students. It’s easy to say that bubble tea has made a strong impact on pop-culture and the daily routines of our students and peers.
“There’s definitely been a boba, or bubble tea, boom in the last decade,” said M.D., the owner of two boba shops in Orange County CA.
Bubble Tea was invented in Taiwan in the 1980’s. The ‘bubbles’ which are usually just referred to as boba, or tapioca pearls, consist of tapioca starch and brown sugar. Boba first made its trek across the pacific in the late 20th century, with the first boba shops in the nation popping up in California and other locations with significant Asian communities.
“In every major market, the Asian population continues to see growth and economic success (buying power). In addition, Asian influence/culture in the market is becoming increasingly popular,” such as K-pop (Korean pop music), said M.D.
Boba shops also reflect some aspects of all types of east-Asian culture. Some boba shops offer Halo Halo, which is a Filipino dessert, even though boba is Taiwanese and a different Filipino dessert, taho, actually contains tapioca pearls. It’s also common for boba shops to have teas from different countries and even desserts like taiyaki, which are Japanese. This leads to boba being synonymous with Aisan and Asian-American culture.
When bubble tea was first becoming popular, it was mostly referred to as a fad and a trend that would likely fade out. Today, it looks like there’s nothing stopping the sweet drink. In 2019, the global bubble tea market size was estimated at around 2.1 billion dollars. But, this is projected to increase to 4.3 billion dollars by 2027. The effects of this can already be seen in San Luis Obispo. There are already several boba shops within city limits, and a few within walking distance of SLOHS.
This huge change in modern culture is significant and it affects your wallet and drink in your hand.
Sources: sfgate.com, cnn.com, grandviewresearch.com
