Trying it Out: Bubble Tea

Several people I know love bubble tea.

[ Kelly is not one of those people. ]

Despite hearing the wonders of bubble tea, I've never actually tried it - this, of course, makes it a perfect thing to put on my 101 list.

Last week, I finally made time to stop in at a popular local bubble tea shop: Fat Straws.

A few thoughts:

• Kelly is crazy. I know, you knew that already, but I mean he's crazy for not liking bubble tea. He doesn't like the texture of the bubbles but you don't have to order the drink with bubbles.
• The bubbles, by the way, are tapioca. I love tapioca and Kelly doesn't.
• The main problem with bubble tea shops is that you have to know what you're doing when you go into the shop. After looking at the shop's menu online, I looked up yelp reviews to get some idea of how to order a drink and how to know what I would and wouldn't like. I finally ordered what others had mentioned tasted good. They were right: The choconana with bubbles was delicious.

For those who are like me and have no idea what to do when they walk into a bubble tea shop:

1. Pick a tea or smoothie combination that sounds yummy.
2. Decide if you do or don't want "bubbles" (large tapioca pearls) or "jelly" (small gelatin shapes) in your tea.
3. If you do want bubbles or jelly, you can also tell them how much you'd like (more or less). The average amount is about 1/4 of your drink - while drinking, that feels like an awful lot.
4. Wait for your drink to be prepared.
5. Drink carefully - you don't want to choke on a bubble!