bursting into pop culture

In 2013, the Fung Bros celebrated “living that boba life” and invited over 2.4 million viewers to join them.

In a parody of Owl City and Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Good Time,” the “Bobalife” music video showcased local boba shops in San Gabriel and Arcadia. The video hailed the drink’s rising popularity among Asian American teens, illustrating how boba shops were quickly emerging as go-to hangout spots for the younger generation.

A few years later, deGuzman said, boba also received national attention during Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.

“There was even a very humorous and memorable moment where presidential candidate Secretary Hillary Clinton went to a boba cafe,” deGuzman said. “I think that it is becoming more and more widespread, more and more accessible.”

According to Food and Wine magazine, the rise of cafe culture also helped to popularize boba. As cafes were redefined from fast food joints to gathering places for teens and young adults, boba shops fit perfectly into the trend.

Trazo added that, as boba hit the mainstream market, some of the significance of boba shops for Asian American communities has gotten lost, reflecting the larger trend of boba liberalism.

“It’s (Boba has) become really popularized, and it’s all sugar, no substance,” Trazo said. “It’s a term people throw at apolitical Asian Americans because it’s become a symbol of Asian American consumer culture nowadays.”

Boba was not the only food fad at the time. But unlike other once-popular snacks like frozen yogurt, boba has outlasted its 15 minutes of fame, deGuzman said. He added that consumers’ ability to enjoy boba anywhere and anytime has contributed to its long-lasting success.

Issy Southern, a first-year business economics student, said “getting boba” is synonymous with a fun outing with friends. She added that since starting her studies at UCLA, she has tried every boba shop in Westwood.

Fong Lieu, a second-year business economics student who works at It’s Boba Time, stressed that the shop’s customer demographic is as diverse as the drinks she serves. She added that the menu has something for everyone, from UCLA teaching assistants on their way to campus to older adults visiting Westwood’s weekly farmers markets.

“I’ve seen some of the most unique combinations,” Lieu said. “Everyone’s just enthusiastic to just try something new.”

But Yu believes boba’s rise to fame isn’t finished, adding that he envisions his brand expanding to include new products and being sold in different restaurants. Although he and his co-founders did not predict the way in which boba would blow up, he has a simple explanation as to why it did.

“I guess that people just like it now,” he said. ”Something you can chew on.” ♦