Ep. Z: Zhēnzhū Nǎichá Pearl Milk Tea 珍珠奶茶
(想聽2021年12月17日的廣播節目可以點開上面音符圖案的檔案 If you'd like to listen to the original 12/17/2021 radio episode, please click on the above music note to play the file)
One of the first new foods I tried when I first came to Taiwan was pearl milk tea. I had never heard of it before, and I remember my Taiwanese coworker bought me a cup to try. The look on her face was so excited, a mix of hoping I'll like it and laughing because she guessed I wouldn't quite know how to eat (?) it or drink (?) it. When I saw those black balls at the bottom of the cup, I didn't know quite what to think. I was a little scared (who knows what crazy things Taiwanese people eat?) but mostly curious. I sipped on the drink, almost choked on the tapioca balls that sped up the straw, and then asked my coworker what I was supposed to do with the balls. "Chew!" she told me while laughing. I followed her instructions, and the love story between me and pearl milk tea began.
I don't drink a lot of pearl milk tea anymore (do you know how much sugar and calories are in those tapioca balls?), but I absolutely adore the drink, and I think it's a great ambassador for Taiwan's unique culture: quirky, sweet, filled with a little controversy about its origins, but much beloved. Hallelujah for pearl milk tea!
剛來台灣時，我嘗試的其中第一個新食物是珍珠奶茶．以前從來沒聽說過這個飲料，記得當時是台灣同事給我買了一杯試試看．他臉上的表情是如此激動，希望我會喜歡它，又笑了起來因為他猜我不太會吃或喝（到底是吃還是喝呢？）．當我看到杯子底部的那些黑球時，我完全不知道該怎麼想．有點害怕（誰知道台灣人吃生麼鬼東西啊？），但主要還是很好奇．我啜了一口，幾乎被在吸管快速地跑上來的樹薯球嗆到了，然後問我同事應該如何處理這些球．＂咬啊！＂他笑著告訴我．按照他的吩咐後，於是就開始了我和珍珠奶茶的愛情故事．
雖然我現在已經不太喝有珍珠的飲料了（你知道那些樹薯球裡有多少糖和卡路里嗎？嚇死人！），但我還是非常喜歡這個飲料扮演的角色．我認為它是台灣獨特文化的偉大大使：古怪的、甜美的、對它的起源充滿了一點爭議、但深受喜愛．哈利路亞珍珠奶茶！
Pearl Milk Tea Lyrics歌詞
Pearl milk tea 珍珠奶茶
Bubble milk tea 泡泡奶茶
Or tapioca, or boba 或樹薯，或波霸
It's so tasty 它好好吃！
Pearl milk tea 珍珠奶茶
Bubble milk tea 泡泡奶茶
It's for you, it's for me 是給你的，也是給我的
It's so tasty 它好好吃！
It was invented in Taichung City 它是在台中市發明的
Or in Tainan, we're not sure 或者在台南市，我們不確定
Pearl milk tea, bubble milk tea 珍珠奶茶，泡泡奶茶
Now it is sold on most street corners 現在大部分街角都有賣
How'd it get there? It's so crazy! 它怎麼來到那裡？太瘋狂了！
Pearl milk tea, bubble milk tea 珍珠奶茶，泡泡奶茶
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The best drink in this world 這個世界上最好的飲料
You should know 你應該知道
Is called by many names 被許多名字稱呼
They're all the same, they're all the same 它們都一樣，它們都一樣
Zhēnzhūnǎichá is what you can call it 珍珠奶茶就是你可以這樣稱呼它
It's what you can call it 你可以這樣稱呼它
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Ice or no 要不要冰塊
It's what you can call it 你可以這樣稱呼它
Pearl milk tea 珍珠奶茶
Bubble milk tea 泡泡奶茶
High sugar or low 糖量高還是低
It's what you can call it 你可以這樣稱呼它
Pearl milk tea 珍珠奶茶
Bubble milk tea 泡泡奶茶
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Zhēnzhūnǎichá is what you can call it 珍珠奶茶就是你可以這樣稱呼它
It's what you can call it 你可以這樣稱呼它
--------------------------------
Ice or no 要不要冰塊
It's what you can call it 你可以這樣稱呼它
Zhēnzhūnǎichá 珍珠奶茶
Pearl milk tea, Bubble milk tea 珍珠奶茶，泡泡奶茶
Zhēnzhūnǎichá is what you can call it 珍珠奶茶就是你可以這樣稱呼它
It's what you can call it 你可以這樣稱呼它
Ice or no, high sugar or low 要不要冰塊，糖量高還是低
Ice or no, high sugar or low 要不要冰塊，糖量高還是低
Zhēnzhūnǎichá is what you can call it 珍珠奶茶就是你可以這樣稱呼它
It's what you can call it 你可以這樣稱呼它
Pearl milk tea 珍珠奶茶
Bubble milk tea 泡泡奶茶
Or tapioca, or boba 或樹薯，或波霸
It's so tasty 它好好吃！
Pearl Milk Tea 和弦(D調) -無伴奏合唱的（這個禮拜麼有烏克麗麗和弦哦！）
(旋律來自古典音樂經典歌曲哈利路亞大合唱)