Boba in Numbers

In a 2021 California Land Surveyors Association survey, 94% of respondents between the ages 29

20 and said they bought boba in the past three months.

Annually, consumers in Southeast Asia spend

$3.66 on boba every year. billion boba shops doubled as community gathering spaces, as parents felt comfortable leaving their children at the family-owned shops and flocks of students purchased inexpensive drinks after school.

“People forget it used to come out of small businesses, and there’s actually a cultural aspect to it,” Trazo added.

Jean-Paul deGuzman, a lecturer in the Asian American studies department, explained that boba shops emerged as what is known as a counterspace for Asian Americans. As racial minorities face stereotypes and discrimination, deGuzman added, these counterspaces can celebrate communities’ cultures and center the identities of minority groups.

Jack Lin, internal vice president of the Taiwanese American Student Association at UCLA, said nearby boba shops allow students to share their culture in a small, easy way. He added that the closest Taiwanese restaurant to campus is all the way in Koreatown.

“It’s a really nice presence that boba is so prevalent in Westwood,” said the third-year computer science student. “It’s nice to see that Taiwanese culture is able to influence other people in this kind of way.”