Readers: to paraphrase Nigel Powers, there are only two things I can’t stand in this world–-people who are intolerant of other people’s cultures, and the Dutch.

That helps explain why, on a sweltering Thursday afternoon in Savannah, I was so keen to try out a refreshing beverage I had never tried before: bubble tea.

Bubble tea–also known as boba tea–is a tea-based drink that, according to Wikipedia, originated in Taiwan in the 1980s and has since spread in popularity all over the world.

Essentially, bubble tea is made with tea, milk, water, sugar, and tapioca pearls. The tapioca pearls (boba) are the signature chewy balls at the bottom of the drink that help make it look so cool on culinary- themed Pinterest boards. On my way home from work, I decided to stop by Eat Tea, a new-ish bubble tea store in southside Savannah that offered more drink flavors than I knew what to do with. Luckily, the barista was really kind and helped me pick out my first tea flavor. I ended up ordering a strawberry milk tea as an attempt to err on the safe side; I didn’t want to buy something too bitter. And of course, I added the tapioca bubbles at the bottom–apparently you have to order those separately on the tab.

Soon enough, my name and drink order was promptly called out, and I was handed my small-sized strawberry milk tea with tapioca bubbles, complete with a funny-shaped straw to help out with drinking both the tea and the bubbles at the same time. (It’s safe to say that it’s probably best not to drink this beverage on the road!).

I sat down at a table and tried out my cool new drink–but not before I took a picture of it, of course! I bet I was a wannabe influencer in my past life.

All in all, the drink was delicious.

The strawberry milk tea was sweet and creamy, but not overbearingly so. The tapioca bubbles were soft and chewy, and reminded me of those fruit snacks I used to love in elementary school (I still love them, but I used to, too).

This after-work drink detour has taught me many things. First: it taught me the value of trying new foods from different cultures. And second, it has shown me the need for patience with my parents whenever they see me spend my hard-earned money on fun sweet treats because apparently, “we have tea at home, stupid.”

(Insert my eyeroll here).

Andrea Gutierrez is the managing editor of the Bryan County News.

Your Editor’s Weekly Faves: 

Album: Can We Please Have Fun? by Kings of Leon (2024)

TV Show: Interview with a Vampire (now on AMC and AMC+)

Film: Twisters (2024) 

Fashion Accessory: a black UGA baseball cap (go Dawgs!) to help keep the relentless August sun out of your eyes as you attempt to help out your father with painting a backyard shed with a bazillion coats of white paint (I may or may not speak from experience).