A simple cup of English Breakfast tea with hot soy milk and fair trade, organic and raw cane sugar. That’s my healthy and vegan version of the Hong Kong style hot milk tea.
Though soy milk doesn’t have the same richness and taste as soy creamer, the restaurant is using products that carry important social messages. That alone is enough to get me look beyond the little flaw of tea with soy milk. Plus, many restaurants don’t even have the option of soy milk yet.
Thank you Veggie SF Vegetarian Cafe in Central for using products that are healthy and socially important.
I thought about the same thing too. It’s strange. Some Asians are lactose intolerant and soy milk is popular in grocery stores and Chinese restaurant but not bubble tea places. It’s getting much better though. It sure depends on how progressive the city is…
I get my bubble tea at a Ten Ren restaurant in the US. I emailed both the corporation and the local branch this article with the suggestion they also offer soy as well as almond milk as alternatives.
Steve
Ah Steve, you should read and forward this to them. It’s about bubble tea options here.
http://angiepalmer.wordpress.com/2011/12/20/bubble-tea-at-w-hotel-hong-kong-totally-brilliant/
Great idea. Ten Ren in Maryland is very much a place to hang out. Having a bar would be even more along those lines.
I recently got introduced to bubble tea at Ten Ren in the US. I’m surprised that many of the milk based bubble teas don’t come with the option to use soy or almond milk, given that Chinese culture traditionally didn’t use cows milk and that soy is very prevalent there. Also, aren’t a lot of Asians lactose intolerant?