Imagine this: it’s 9:12pm on a Friday night, the Scorpio moon has risen and tensions are high. Adrenaline is coursing through the air and with your sixth sense, you come to the understanding that there is only one more thing that could make your adolescent night slightly more perfect. There is only one thing in the world that could satisfy all your cravings and alleviate that hole in your heart from your trust issues: boba.
Commonly known as boba tea, or in the rare case someone who is not a regular addict to the precious tapioca pearls, “bubble tea” has become an increasing delicacy for not only teenagers but people around the country. Originating from Taiwan, these tapioca pearls can be paired with any drink (but I strongly recommend that you do not order something obscure from a boba place, like an oreo milk tea), adding the perfect texture and sugary, caffeinated taste to make you feel alive once more. There is no controversial opinion about boba; everyone loves it. It’s addicting, enticing, mouthwatering and so on. American residents, especially in recent years, have become accustomed to the luxuries of having quick and easy access to the nearest boba tea store that offers limitless boba. It’s pretty safe to say that American residents are unable to see a future without the abundant supply of these desirable pearls.
And flash forward to today. Today marks the day of May 3rd, 2021. And not to be dramatic, but we’re nationally facing a prevalent issue that affects the livelihoods of many as well as the average happiness rating of our country on the world scare. We’re running out of boba.
Why? How? Huh? These are all valid questions one may be asking. With the over-influx of boba at dockworkers, and the lack of employees necessary to process these shipments at the docks, freights, and transportation trucks, not enough boba is able to reach the many, many businesses across the nation that rely on these precious pearls to maintain their customers’ satisfaction. In metaphorical terms, boba could essentially and should technically be considered a raw material and commodity as its growing industry has not only simulated a capitalist economy, but has reached the hearts of many. According to Fortune Business Insights, the global bubble tea market was 2.02 billion in 2019, and is only expected to grow even further. Yet with the increasing demand and purchase of tapioca, along with the restrictions of an unprecedented pandemic, the boba has not been able to be loaded in proper time to restock the fast-paced consumption of boba addicts nationwide.
The boba shortage, no matter how trivial, unbelievable, and imaginary it sounds, is upon us. Although the shortage may extend until summer, we must remain hopeful that one of these days, we will be able to sense that adrenaline and inner voice inside our heads to spend the last of our bank accounts on that five dollar milk tea with boba. For now, we face withdrawal symptoms, so I suggest you savor every single taste of that precious pearl and enjoy it while you can; you’ll never know when it’ll be your last bite.