Friday, January 11, 2013

Boba nostalgia

Some reassuring boba news out of Southern California: in 2012, nearly three times as many boba joints opened than closed in San Gabriel Valley, according to LA Weekly.

"[This] once again proves that the tapioca ceiling hasn't yet been hit. What the malt shoppe was to American teens in the 1950's, the teahouse/boba shop is to Asian American teens in this millennium."

This not only intensifies my nostalgia for San Gabriel Valley and its endless boba options, but makes me wonder if I should seriously consider getting into the boba business here in D.C. I'm telling you, the competition would be nonexistent. The last time I had boba nearby, it was at Song Que, a Vietnamese deli in Eden Center -- which is great for Vietnamese food, but not great at all for boba. Which makes sense, since good boba is always at teahouses operated by Taiwanese people and not at Vietnamese, Thai or other Asian restaurants that co-opt boba into their menus but never get it quite right.

Milk tea at Song Que - not terrible, but not in the same league as teahouses in the Bay Area and Southern California






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