FOODOGRAPHER cha” (pearl green ). Further Get ready to celebrate! ow huge is ? According to CNN Travel, experimentation with black Bubbles & Boba National Bubble Tea three years ago sales balls produced a tea with an even Day is April 30! You increasedH by 3,000% in Southeast richer taste and chewier texture. Asia. Worldwide they are expected to He worked with a manufacturer say you’ve been in a increase by $2 billion over the next to produce straws large enough to Covid bubble for the five years (sales estimates now stand imbibe the tapioca balls. His Hanlin last 12 months and have at $4.3 billion). McDonald’s German and tea rooms can now be have added bubble tea found across the globe. lost track of the latest Yet another person was claiming BubbleBubble to their menus. In 2020, bubble tea trends, including bubble became an official emoji. Bubble tea credit for the development of what became known as bubble tea. Lin tea? As the uninitiated pizza is now a thing. In , fans of bubble tea swarmed shops Hsiu Hui, the product manager TeaTea for (now an will discover, bubble ahead of their Covid-related tea is easy to love – the shutdowns last spring. international chain of teahouses), proclaimed that she developed milky-sweet and colorful The roots of bubble tea can FullFull be traced to the late ‘40s, when a bubble tea in 1988 during a staff tea is similar to a latte. mixologist named Chang Fan Shu meeting when, out of boredom, opened a shop in , where he she mixed some tapioca balls into used cocktail shakers to create a her tea. Meeting attendees who rich and silky tea topped by fine air sampled the concoction loved it and bubbles. The was remarkable – further experimentation led to the even revolutionary – for two reasons: development of a bubble tea that served cold, it was intended to be outsold the company’s lineup enjoyed at one’s leisure. of ice . CircleCircle Fast forward 40 years to THE COMPETITION over the TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY JORDAN BUSH 1986, when a struggling artist/ bubble tea market grew fierce and by entrepreneur named Tu Tsong-He 2009 the two factions were in court jumped on the cold-beverage trend in an effort to determine who could and added tapioca balls (fenyuan) rightfully be declared the inventor to tea. (The tapioca balls had been of bubble tea. Ten years later, a a favorite childhood treat.) The verdict was issued. The Taiwanese resulting visual made him think of court determined that since the tea his mother’s pearl necklace, hence industry is one of friendship, the he called his drink “zhen zhu lu matter of who “invented” bubble tea is a moot point. According to scholars and food historians (again via CNN Travel), bubble tea gained international attention in 2004, when the Taiwanese government was negotiating an arms deal. Citizens balked at its cost and the government proposed that if every citizen would skip one serving of bubble tea per week for the following 15 years, the arms deal could easily be afforded. The

Left to right: Taiwanese people were so “up in Strawberry arms” over the proposal that it became international news. with , black Meanwhile, the bubble tea tea with boba phenomenon caught the attention and pineapple of former investment banker, Assad green tea with lychee. The Khan, who tasted the drink in New are from York and set his sights on launching Bleu Bubble Tea & Bakery, his own venture. Bubbleology which is located became the toast of London and inside the Khan is now researching the premise Asian Center Supermarket in of developing a line of “skinny teas” Lancaster. that will appeal to health and weight- conscious bubble tea fans.

46 LANCASTER COUNTY | APRIL 2021 LANCASTER COUNTY | APRIL 2021 47 tea and the tapioca of your The first time I sampled bubble of ice you want, if any, as well as drink childhood do share tapioca as a Key ingredients in preparing bubble tea include tea was during Apple training in size, are specified. (clockwise from bottom left): tapioca flour, common ingredient. dark brown , milk, looseleaf green tea and California, and I was instantly hooked. homemade boba (or tapioca pearls). Compared to a latte, the intense shades of red, orange, yellow and Bleu even green stand out. Bubble tea Types of requires an oversized straw so large in diameter it could be described as a Bubble Tea Bubble Tea tube. At the bottom of the drink, and Replace the milk with puréed fruit necessitating such a straw, are circular and you end up with a refreshing fruit & Bakery bubbles, or tapioca pearls known as tea. Both milk- and fruit-based bubble When Bleu Bubble Tea & Bakery boba. Think of it like finding the cherry teas can be made with green or black opened inside the Asian Center Supermarket (located off the Rohrerstown Road in Lancaster), it grabbed my attention. I had to check it out. The bubble tea is outstanding and begged the question: what would prompt someone to open a food- service business in the winter during a pandemic? Who would risk starting a new business now? It was there I met Cherie (Yi) Que and her husband, John (Jiang) Lu, part-owners of Bleu. Like many others, John was laid off from his job last year due to the pandemic. “A lot of people lost their jobs,” says Cherie. “We don’t want to depend or count on the government for something. We want to bring happiness to ourselves,” she explains. “We believe in our own hands.” “He brought me a special gift: a So, John decided he would start a wedding band,” she says. Cherie recalls business and drew inspiration from asking, “John, after so many years, Cherie’s love of bubble tea. why are you so sure it’s me? What if In September 2020, when Cherie I had become a really ugly monster?” Tapioca flour and dark brown sugar combine with water over medium heat to create homemade boba. Instant and John learned from the owner Nonetheless, her answer was, “Of black boba pearls are seen on the right. of the Asian Center Supermarket course, yes!” She adds, “That’s the that a spot was available for a small 2006, growing up together in Guangxi reason why we’re here!” varieties of each recipe,” says John, at the bottom of an ice cream sundae. tea, and all else equal, the flavor change business, she immediately called her Province in , where the two were The pair married a year later who labored over quality ingredients The discovery is just as delightful. is astounding. I thought I preferred best friend, Erin (Yulan) Cui, whose high school sweethearts. While still and planned a new future together. to find the right textures, consistency What follows are some tips and bubble tea made with until significant other, West (Xi) Chen, in school, John’s family moved to the Because Cherie had a government and combinations of flavors. “If tidbits to get you started on the path discovering a new favorite: honeydew was the general manager of a Korean . Being separated by such position working at a police I don’t like it, we won’t sell it to to becoming a fan of bubble tea. milk green tea with boba. While boba bakery and bubble tea shop. It was a great distance prompted John and department handling security data, customers,” says John. “We are proud is the best-known “topping” for bubble there that Erin and West first met. Cherie to end their relationship. “We John offered to move back to China; of our boba.” West, meanwhile, kept tea, lychee is a delicious, tropical fruit Every morning on her way to work, never forgot each other,” Cherie says. however, they decided she would join Erin in mind while creating lactose- native to China with a firm, gumdrop- Erin would stop at the bakery for “John called me every single year on him in the United States. Boba free recipes, knowing she could enjoy like texture. fresh bread and a lactose-free , my birthday.” Boba, or tapioca pearls, add a them. As for the bakery component, specially made by West. On Cherie’s birthday in 2012, subtle sweetness to bubble tea. They equipment remained from a previous The pending partnership would her then-boyfriend missed the event, are all about texture, too. Boba should business and they wanted to make use Full Circle combine their talents. West had causing their relationship to end. be soft and chewy and not hard or Placing of it. To avoid any leftovers, one batch Cherie points out that the shape experience operating such a business However, the ever-faithful John called sticky. Ready-to-cook boba, which is of steamed buns is made each morning of boba in tea and the circle in Bleu’s and because Erin’s parents own a Cherie from the U.S. to wish her a made using tapioca starch (or tapioca around 10:30 a.m., including a personal logo, which she designed, have a Your Order nail salon, she was familiar with the happy birthday only to discover it was flour), brown sugar and water, is When ordering bubble tea, specify favorite, buns. deeper cultural meaning. The shape process of maintaining a business. not a joyful day. “He could tell I was quickly boiled and chilled. The texture if you want it to be made with milk or Choosing the French spelling of a circle has a timeless significance John would bring a strong background a little bit down,” Cherie says. After and sweetness of well-made boba fruit. Milk-powder is chosen for the of blue – symbolizing calmness and in Chinese culture, and it holds a in software, while Cherie would Cherie explained what had happened, should be reminiscent of gummy texture and for the benefit of those tranquility – Bleu Bubble Tea & Bakery relatability in much of Asian culture. contribute her knowledge of John asked, “If I could go back to bears. who are lactose intolerant. Next, opened on December 11, 2020. “The circle is one, no beginning and marketing. Together the two couples China, would you give me another When people hear the word choose black or green tea, followed no end, no source and no end,” Cherie built Bleu; the heart that caps each chance?” “tapioca,” they think of the pudding by your preferred level of sweetness. explains, paraphrasing from Chinese container of bubble tea is a nod to the Two days later, John was on a 17- their grandmothers made. Actually, The default sweetness for a recipe is Zen. “One is all.” love they hold for each other. A Bigger hour flight to visit Cherie in China. “My the powder found in the baking aisle 100% and it can be adjusted to taste at Elaborating further, Cherie explains By October, John and West boyfriend in another city in China can’t comes from root that is levels of 30%, 50% or 70%. Toppings that Asian cultures teach people to committed to the idea and took two make it, but John lives in America and native to and gets the flavor are the paramount choice: boba pearls Leap be self-contained, humble in keeping weeks to menu plan for their bubble flew across the entire Pacific Ocean. and texture wrong. However, bubble pair better with , while lychee It turns out that starting a new to themselves while avoiding friction. tea shop. They prepared “three or four He made it. He made it,” says Cherie. complements fruit teas. The amount business wasn’t the first time John took a big leap. He and Cherie met in LANCASTER COUNTY | APRIL 2021 49 A person exists within his or her alternative – getting others sick – also circle, having no sharp edges to cause seems irrational. “We should work Where to friction or abrasions to others. As a together, holding one another’s hands, smooth sphere rolls forward through like a circle,” she theorizes. challenges and adversity, it slows down Earth, our blue marble hanging in Find It for nothing that could cause harm. So, space, contains the only-known life in BLEU BUBBLE TEA & BAKERY the universe. All life, especially human too, should a person strive to be. 2060 Bennett Ave., Lancaster life, is an exceptional rarity. How can These values can present (Inside the Asian Center we not treat others with recognition, themselves as naivety or passivity, but Supermarket) worthy of our respect and equality? Cherie’s words are powerful amid a Instagram.com/bleububbletea global pandemic. Over the last year, A cultural symbol as simple as a circle the Asian-American community has puts stewardship and kindness into HIPPO BUBBLE TEA faced a dramatic increase of threats greater perspective. Hawthorne Center and hate crimes across the United Looking forward, Cherie says 2050 Fruitville Pike, Lancaster States, brought about by COVID-19. she would love to see Bleu “grow Hippo-bubble-tea.company.site Driven by unfounded fear, it’s hard to stronger and for it to be a voice.” see a young couple with big dreams Their new business is building BUBOO SMOOTHIE intensely and wrongfully targeted their track and creating jobs, while AND TEA HOUSE for starting the pandemic itself. supporting other local businesses Park City Center, Lancaster It’s an immense burden the Asian and bringing in tax dollars. “Money community faces daily while is not the most important thing,” enduring the frustrations and says Cherie. “My biggest dream is challenges we all face. for everything to be peaceful. We “It’s really scary,” says Cherie. don’t want to see any hatred on the “No matter what tone of skin you are, streets. We all live together on this we’re all human beings. There is no planet. We are all the same.” difference between you and me. The Asian community is also suffering from Covid. No virus has any nationality. It’s global,” she observes. “Before the pandemic came, we started wearing masks. We want to protect ourselves and other people. It’s respectful for everybody. We do our best to protect everyone.” In Asian cultures, when someone has a cold, they’ll wear a mask out of basic respect and common courtesy to others. Not only is it kind, but the

Honeydew milk green tea with boba and passion fruit green tea with lychee from Bleu Bubble Tea & Bakery. The red hearts that keep the lids in place on beverage containers honor West’s girlfriend, Erin, and John’s wife, Cherie. West and John met one another through the friendship of these two women. “This entire bubble tea [business] is about two love stories,” says Cherie.

JORDAN BUSH is a commercial photographer. His work has allowed him to discover and document cultures and food across five continents. A graduate of Garden Spot High School and Millersville University, Jordan and his fiancée, Jessica, reside and cook together in Ephrata. 50 LANCASTER COUNTY | APRIL 2021