• yermaw@sh.itjust.works
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    12 hours ago

    Ive never built up the courage to try even a single bubble tea, partly because its stupid expensive, but mostly because im worried about saying the wrong thing and having people think im strange. Like if you asked for extra sugar on your hot dog or something.

    Finding that there’s mad purists arguing about what is or isnt doesnt make this any easier.

    • Apocalypteroid@lemmy.org
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      5 hours ago

      Tbh I’m not even sure what bubble tea is. Bubbles, yep. Tea, yep. Tea with bubbles? Have you put washing up liquid in it? Why is it bubbly?

      • mushroommunk@lemmy.today
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        5 hours ago

        The “bubbles” refers to the little edible tapioca balls at the bottom.

        The name started as “bo ba”, the Chinese name for the tapioca pearls, and the west turned it into “bubble”. No idea what the original Chinese means, could just be bubble.

        It’s often a sweeter milk tea (though pretty much anything goes these days)

    • ayyy@sh.itjust.works
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      8 hours ago

      Well the good news is that a Korean corn dog stand will happily add extra sugar and not find the request strange. I guess the lesson is you just have to find where you fit in lol.

      The second good news is that food vendors are typically quite happy when you know nothing because they typically like to share new experiences with people.

    • TriflingToad@sh.itjust.works
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      10 hours ago

      tbh the worst someone will think is you’re a dumb American, which there are a lot of. They won’t single you out or care at all.

      Even if they do, it’ll just be a gossip sesh with coworkers to pass the time and nothing more

      at least that’s how it is at my grocery store job. The only things I can remember are

      • an Irish man with a funny accent
      • someone who wanted double bagged paper for some reason
      • and some lady who stole a baby bottle and when the toddler picked it up and yelled “MOMMY YOU FOROGOT THIS!! 😃” nobody said a word about
      • also someone who tried to hide an antibiotic under dog food which I accidentally uncovered when scanning the dog food. When it rung up it was $25 and I felt sooo bad
      • mushroommunk@lemmy.today
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        5 hours ago

        I can (potentially) explain the double bagged paper. Growing up in the South that was the de-facto cooling rack, no wire racks or wax paper like you see today. They were cut open, laid on any flat surface, them cookies or cakes or what have you were laid on them to cool. They’d wick away moisture or grease and be easy clean up.

        Free with groceries and if they were double bagged you had enough for a double batch of chocolate chip cookies while also usually guaranteeing (usually) the bag wouldn’t split from condensation or something before you got home.

    • lost_faith@lemmy.ca
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      9 hours ago

      Personally not a fan (don’t like the taste of teas), but many I know are. Order a basic one the first time however it says on the board, ask for a suggestion saying you never tried this before, ask any other questions you have they will generally answer, like “What do other people do with/put in this” you will either love it or feel you wasted money. Either way it will be a new experience. Oh, don’t worry about what others think of your choices (so long as you are not hurting anyone that is) you do you and enjoy, purists will just bring you down