Get the Bobo out of here

Now here's something I can't stand: Bubble Tea. I'll be honest here - I haven't tried it myself, and I won't, because I don't actually want to gain weight or get diabetes. I don't know if it's the same in other countries, but around here, those Bubble Tea shops just popped out of the ground everywhere over night. They're called different things, like Mr Bobo, or just BT, or something completely random, but they all sell the same stuff. In some cities you walk past eight or nine within an hour.  Now McDonalds have hopped on board and started selling Bubble Tea in their McCafés.

Just in case you don't know what Bubble Tea is, this is it:

You have a basis of tea, or tea with milk (black, green, white, ...), or iced tea. Then you can add flavour - which isn't that bad if it's just some sort of fruit juice, but it can be syrup as well. And lots and lots of sugar, either way. And then the bubbles, which are sort of jelly like things... Like gummibears. And they come in different flavours.

And they have just about a gazillion calories, all from sugar. Actually I think McDonald's Bubble Tea isn't as bad as the stuff they sell in other shops, and it makes sense, because they do have an image to uphold. And I don't mean that of fatty super size fatsos. Here, McDonald's is a lot about local produce and advertising fitness as well. Anyway, I don't think it'd do them any good if they included the worst drink ever in their menu.

But that doesn't hold for other BT shops. There are multiple warnings from health organisations and researchers that Bubble Tea is harmful to your health etc. It's definitely calorie and sugar laden, not to mention the starch in the bubbles. And to make matters worse, a lot of BT shops sell donuts as well. Of all the things in the world!

But what really riles me most is that the people I see drinking this stuff the absolute most are youngish children (10-14) and people who are already obese. I'm trying to watch my weight - I know I should do more sports, and I should lose 5 kilos or so. But the fact that this stuff is advertised as a healthy fruity tea drink/snack is just... horrifying. I doubt most people even realise what they're putting in their bodies.

0.2l – which makes a small glass – can contain up to 500 calories. And that's the smallest size they would sell. (Just as a comparison, the same size of a regular (non-diet) coke comes up to about 100 calories.)


The largest chain of BT shops argues that they never claimed their drink was healthy. It still frustrates me that this stuff is even allowed, and that children of any age really can buy it. And "fruity tea" does imply healthiness, at least in my opinion. Half the people are overweight. Bring it on, I'm sure we can make it to 75% by the end of the year.