Virtual Exhibit The Boom of Bubble Tea Drink Culture in Queens

A Virtual Exhibit

“Immigrant” Bubbles: The Boom of Bubble Tea Drink Culture in Queens

Many say their drink of choice is bubble tea — a flavored tea-based beverage, originally made in Taiwan, that is loaded with tapioca pearls or jellies. In Flushing, a medium cup of bubble tea costs around $5, compared to $4 for a grande mocha at Starbucks. As Flushing’s Chinese population grows, so does its bubble tea industry. According to a bubble tea shop owner in a recent Queens Daily Eagle interview, there are now more than 20 bubble tea stores in the neighborhood, including some recognizable brand names on both Chinese and American internet. 

This exhibition compiles history and stories of the evolution of bubble tea on how this addictive beverage has gradually entered the world stage. And more importantly, how it has become a representative of the symbolic modern-day’s “subtle Asian trait” shared by young Asian Americans.

  Curated by Yuwen Huyan Designed by Aliana Prior

Funding provided by Con Edison Inc. 

DIGITAL PANELS:  Bubble Tea Exhibit