Kim Vu makes bubble teas at Boba Tea House in Haltom City, Texas. (Knight ridder)
They're somewhere between squishy and chewy, and they come submerged in flavors from passionfruit to strawberry to kumquat to soursop.
They're called boba, or tapioca pearl balls, and the drinks in whose depths they lurk can be coffee or tea; fruit frappes or smoothies or coolers; milk drinks that may or may not have milk in them.
We're talking about bubble tea, or boba tea or pearl milk tea. These sweetened cold beverages are the cool thing to drink for young Asians (and, increasingly, young non-Asians) in big cities from Los Angeles to Houston to Vancouver, and they're becoming easy to find in the Asian enclaves around the country.
The trend-conscious, and those who do much traveling, will have been aware of bubble tea for a few years now. In major cities and those with large Asian populations, boba shops draw young hangers-out in much the same way coffeehouses or lounges attract older socializers.
http://www.etaiwannews.com/Taiwan/2004/02/02/1075687716.htm