A cross-section of one of Rainbow Brite's ovaries

What you are looking at is not actually the ova of a cartoon character, but multicolored tapioca pearls in a sugar syrup, also known as boba. They are the cute, pudgy little balls you find in the bottom of a glass of bubble tea. They are nearly flavorless; their main appeal is their wonderfully soft and chewy texture. Before I'd ever had bubble tea, my only exposure to them was in tapioca pudding. Tapioca is a starch derived from the cassava (or manioc) root which is then made into pearls of varying sizes. Smaller pearls are often used in puddings while the larger ones are usually served in drinks. I don't see why you couldn't use the larger ones in a pudding though. A tapioca pudding made with these large rainbow pearls would be beautiful.

Brown pearls are typically used in bubble tea, but I had to try the rainbow ones. I bought them at my local Asian grocery (Hmoob Oriental Market on Sherman) and followed the package's instructions. They're the instant kind so they cook up quickly-- about 5-7 minutes in boiling water. Faster than pasta. Then you run them under cold water and put them into a *sugar syrup so that they don't stick together and they sweeten up a bit. They will only last about a day before they begin to lose their perfect gummy texture so don't make more than you plan on using. About a half cup of uncooked pearls is good for 2-3 people.

Traditional bubble teas are made with a blend of sweetened tea (black or green) and milk and shaken until frothy (which is apparently why it's called bubble tea and not because the boba resemble bubbles). Fruit teas, fruit slushies, and frozen coffee drinks are also popular boba drinks. Try adding boba to all kinds of cold or frozen drinks. Just put a couple of tablespoons of the gooey pearls into the bottom of a glass, pour the drink on top, and serve with an extra big-ass straw. You'll definitely need extra wide straws to suck up the fat boba. Regular old straws are just not up to the task. Places that carry the larger pearls will probably also sell the wider straws.

I've never understood why bubble tea cafés don't serve alcohol. It just seems like a huge missed opportunity. I mean, it might not work so well with a Bloody Mary or a glass of scotch, but a frozen margarita? Or a piña colada? I decided to go with daiquiris. I blended up some frozen blackberries with lime juice, sugar, ice, and lots of rum.

Frozen Blackberry Daiquiris with Boba

It's like a cocktail and a meal all rolled up in one! The combination of sweet, fruity slush and chewy little rum-soaked pearls will remind you of why you started drinking in the first place. It'll rejuvenate your love for alcohol and inject some passion back into your alcoholism. I should open up a bubble bar.

*Sugar Syrup: You have two options here. You can make a simple syrup by boiling a mixture of one part white sugar to one part water or you can use one part white sugar, one part brown sugar, and two parts water.