Editing Bubble tea (section)

===United States===
[[Taiwanese Americans|Taiwanese immigrants]] introduced bubble tea to the United States in the 1990s, initially in [[California]] through regions including [[Los Angeles County, California|Los Angeles County]].<ref name="AsianAmericanIdentity">{{cite news |last1=Zhang |first1=Jenny G. |title=How Bubble Tea Became a Complicated Symbol of Asian-American Identity |url=https://www.eater.com/2019/11/5/20942192/bubble-tea-boba-asian-american-diaspora |work=Eater |date=5 November 2019 |language=en}}</ref> Some of the first stand-alone bubble tea shops can be traced to a food court in [[Arcadia, California|Arcadia]], in Southern California,<ref name="AsianAmericanIdentity"/> and Fantasia Coffee & Tea in [[Cupertino, California|Cupertino]], in Northern California.<ref name=":15">{{Cite thesis |last=Trazo |first=Talitha Angelica |title="Wanna Get Boba?": The Bond Between Boba and Asian American Youth in San Jose, California |date=2020 |degree=M.A. |publisher=University of California, Los Angeles |url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7d24w91f |page=3 |language=en |access-date=9 April 2021 |archive-date=24 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210424115344/https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7d24w91f |url-status=live }}</ref> Chains like Tapioca Express, Quickly, Lollicup, and [[Happy Lemon]] emerged in the late 1990s and early 2000s, bringing the Taiwanese bubble tea trend to the US.<ref name=":15" /> Within the Asian American community, bubble tea is commonly known under its colloquial term "boba."<ref name=":4" />

As the beverage gained popularity in the US, it gradually became more than a drink, but a cultural identity for Asian Americans. This phenomenon was referred to as “boba life” by Chinese-American brothers Andrew and David Fung in their music video, “Bobalife,” released in 2013.<ref name=":4" /> Boba symbolizes a subculture that Asian Americans as social minorities could define themselves as, and “boba life” is a reflection of their desire for both cultural and political recognition.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Nguyen |first=Heather |date=2020 |title=Boba Binds You and Me: An Exploration of Boba, Asian American Identity, and Community |url=https://digitalwindow.vassar.edu/senior_capstone/1049 |journal=Senior Capstone Projects |access-date=9 April 2021 |archive-date=16 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416133959/https://digitalwindow.vassar.edu/senior_capstone/1049/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It is also used disparagingly in the term [[boba liberal]], a term that derides mainstream Asian-American liberalism.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Zhang |first1=Jenny G. |date=5 November 2019 |title=How Bubble Tea Became a Complicated Symbol of Asian-American Identity |url=https://www.eater.com/2019/11/5/20942192/bubble-tea-boba-asian-american-diaspora |access-date=13 February 2022 |website=Eater |language=en |quote=While bubble tea itself is neither inherently political nor bad, per se, some Asian Americans are critical of the dominant strain of Asian-American politics, called "boba liberalism," that the drink has come to represent in certain circles. Boba liberalism — is the “substanceless trend-chasing spectacle” that is mainstream Asian-American liberalism, derided as shallow, consumerist-capitalist, and robbed of meaning.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Frias |first1=Lauren |title=Boba liberalism: How the emergence of superficial activism could cause more harm than good to the AAPI community |url=https://www.insider.com/boba-liberalism-critique-on-a-shallow-political-identity-amid-crisis-2021-3 |website=[[Business Insider]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240911015723/https://www.businessinsider.com/boba-liberalism-critique-on-a-shallow-political-identity-amid-crisis-2021-3 |archive-date=11 September 2024 |access-date=8 January 2025 |date=6 May 2021 |quote=Traced back to Twitter user @diaspora_is_red (the original account is now suspended from Twitter), boba liberalism is described as "a type of mainstream liberal Asian-American politics" — one that, like the drink, is "a substanceless trend-chasing spectacle."}}</ref> Other regions with large concentrations of bubble tea restaurants in the United States are the [[Northeastern United States|Northeast]] and [[Southwestern United States|Southwest]]. This is reflected in the [[coffeehouse]]-style [[teahouse]] chains that originate from the regions, such as [[Boba Tea Company]] from [[Albuquerque]], [[New Mexico]], No. 1 Boba Tea in [[Las Vegas]], [[Nevada]], and [[Kung Fu Tea]] from [[New York City]].<ref name="The New Mexican 2013">{{Cite news |last=Hyde |first=Justin |date=October 8, 2013 |title=Loan Helps Couple Expand Beyond New Mexico |work=[[The Santa Fe New Mexican]]}}</ref><ref name="KLAS-TV 2020">{{Cite news |last1=Houston |first1=Kate |last2=Wright |first2=Lucas |date=February 27, 2020 |title='No. 1 Boba Tea' Expands Throughout Las Vegas Valley Despite Pandemic Challenges |work=KLAS-TV |url=https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/no-1-boba-tea-expands-throughout-las-vegas-valley-despite-pandemic-challenges/ |access-date=May 6, 2021 |archive-date=6 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506030718/https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/no-1-boba-tea-expands-throughout-las-vegas-valley-despite-pandemic-challenges/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Albuquerque and Las Vegas have a large concentrations of boba tea restaurants, as the drink is popular especially among the [[Hispanos of New Mexico|Hispano]], [[Navajo]], [[Pueblo]], and other [[Indigenous peoples of the North American Southwest|Native American]], [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic and Latino American]] communities in the Southwest.<ref name="Hoodline">{{Cite web |date=November 8, 2019 |title=Albuquerque's 5 Best Spots for Inexpensive Bubble Tea |url=https://hoodline.com/2019/11/albuquerque-s-5-best-spots-for-inexpensive-bubble-tea/ |access-date=December 20, 2020 |website=Hoodline |archive-date=6 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506030717/https://hoodline.com/2019/11/albuquerque-s-5-best-spots-for-inexpensive-bubble-tea/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Gil">{{Cite web |last=Garduno |first=Gil |date=February 9, 2020 |title=Kawaii Boba Cafe – Albuquerque, New Mexico |url=https://www.nmgastronome.com/?p=54156 |access-date=December 20, 2020 |website=Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog |archive-date=6 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506030720/https://www.nmgastronome.com/?p=54156 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="TheFancyNavajo 2017">{{Cite web |date=April 1, 2017 |title=Fancy Navajo Boba Almond Milk Tea |url=https://thefancynavajo.com/2017/05/01/fancy-navajo-boba-almond-milk-tea/ |access-date=May 6, 2021 |website=TheFancyNavajo |archive-date=6 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506030719/https://thefancynavajo.com/2017/05/01/fancy-navajo-boba-almond-milk-tea/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Best Things To Do and Places To Go in New Mexico 2018">{{Cite web |date=February 4, 2018 |title=The 10 Best Places for Bubble Tea in New Mexico! |url=https://bestthingsnm.com/bubble-tea/ |access-date=May 6, 2021 |website=Best Things To Do and Places To Go in New Mexico |archive-date=24 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220124125100/https://bestthingsnm.com/bubble-tea/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

A massive shipping and supply chain crisis on the U.S. West coast, coupled with the [[2021 Suez Canal obstruction|obstruction of the Suez Canal]] in March 2021, caused a shortage of tapioca pearls for bubble tea shops in the U.S. and Canada.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Paglinawan |first=Denise |date=April 16, 2021 |title=No Bubble Tea This Spring? Canada Faces Boba Shortage Amid Shipping Delays |work=CP24 |agency=The Canadian Press |url=https://www.cp24.com/lifestyle/no-bubble-tea-this-spring-canada-faces-boba-shortage-amid-shipping-delays-1.5390967?cache=wpwecmoua%3FclipId%3D1921747 |access-date=11 May 2021 |archive-date=11 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511051359/https://www.cp24.com/lifestyle/no-bubble-tea-this-spring-canada-faces-boba-shortage-amid-shipping-delays-1.5390967?cache=wpwecmoua%3FclipId%3D1921747 |url-status=live }}"</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Yetikyel |first=Gia |date=April 20, 2021 |title=West Coast Bubble Tea Shops Brace for Boba Shortage as Cargo Ships Jam Los Angeles Ports |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/boba-shortage-us-creates-limited-supply-bubble-tea-180977545/ |website=Smithsonian Magazine |access-date=11 May 2021 |archive-date=24 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220124125021/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/boba-shortage-us-creates-limited-supply-bubble-tea-180977545/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Most of the tapioca consumed in the U.S. is imported from Asia, since the critical ingredient, tapioca starch, is mostly grown in Asia.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Everington |first=Keoni |date=16 April 2021 |title=Bobapocalypse: US Milk Tea Shops Face Taiwan Boba Shortage |work=[[Taiwan News]] |url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4178788 |access-date=16 September 2021 |archive-date=16 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916024237/https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4178788 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[TikTok]] trends and the [[Korean Wave]] also fueled the popularity of bubble tea in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Chen |first1=Spe |last2=Hong |first2=Jinshan |date=2023-03-31 |title=How Taiwanese Bubble Tea Has Taken Over the US |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2023-bubble-tea-us-taiwan/ |work=[[Bloomberg News]]}}</ref>