Bubbling enthusiasm for Bubble Tea

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Every morning and early afternoons, the office areas of Singapore business district are full of smartly dressed, high heeled women moving about their business with a designer bag and something else dangling from their manicured fingers! They queue up for minutes to buy this drink. This drink stands tall in transparent plastic glasses with a sealed lid and a big straw. When I initially arrived in Singapore, I used to laugh at such a tea. Tea should be Indian- hot and with spices if so desired. What is this cold tea? One evening, my colleague took me to a shop called "Each a Cup" and ordered a caramel milk tea with no ice and pearls. It was yummy. It was full of milk with a hint of caramel and pearls sinking in the end. Pearls are sago balls and black in colour. You have to be careful to take big, thick straws or else the pearls will not suck up throw the straw. In Singapore, you can choose 4-5 levels of sugar as per your taste and diet restrictions. There are many flavours to choose too. Then there is the art of neatly striking the plastic sealed lid with the pointed end of the straw and attack! Then the cool drink flows through your mouth into your throat and finally lands in the stomach. In the process, small black pearls will move up and get stuck in your teeth and you will be chewing them till they dissolve and disappear. One of my favourite things in Singapore is to get such a drink and then enjoy a book in the library. Since it was a hot day, I happened to ask for ice. To my dismay, when the drink was in its low ebb, only the ice remained and all the pearls were scattered in between them. I focussed my straw to pull the pearls up. I made so much noise with straw in my effort to get the pearls that eye brows raised. Next time, I resolved never to take ice! I do wonder how people drink this in offices and what will your boss think, if you are struggling with the pearls in front of him. I suggest take bubble tea but limit your bubbling enthusiasm with good company. There are plenty in Singapore and pretty ones too!

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