User talk:AKMask

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• /Archive 5

Post at the bottom, keep it sort of neat, and use User_talk:AKMask/Steamroom if you want to blow off some steam.

The Fields of Athenry

A while ago you mentioned on Talk:The Fields of Athenry that the lyrics were over a hundred years old and therefore not copyrighted and therefore reproducible in the article. Do you have sources for this claim? The article itself states twice that it was written in the 1980s (actually, most other sources I can find say 1979). I'm trying to find out because obviously the lyrics need to go if the song's still under copyright, unless we contact Pete St John and get permission. Marnanel 12:51, 16 October 2007 (UTC)

MfD nomination of Wikipedia:No one really cares

Wikipedia:No one really cares, a page you created, has been nominated for deletion. Your opinions on the matter are welcome; please participate in the discussion by adding your comments at Wikipedia:Miscellany for deletion/Wikipedia:No one really cares and please be sure to sign your comments with four tildes (~~~~). You are free to edit the content of Wikipedia:No one really cares during the discussion but should not remove the miscellany for deletion template from the top of the page; such removal will not end the deletion discussion. Thank you.--12 Noon ^2¢ 16:21, 11 January 2008 (UTC)

Thanks

Thanks for the help for Image:Mar Thoma Syrian Church Crest.png. It is now working properly. - Tinucherian (talk) 12:33, 25 February 2008 (UTC)

Re:Adminship Page

Yes, I know that quality edits matter, not quantity. Thanks but I already knew all that. I'm still improving that page. Any comments?--RyRy5 ^{Got something to say?} 02:40, 6 April 2008 (UTC)

FYI

Just so you know, I've posted a response to your comment here: Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard/Incidents#Need an admintrator's intervention. I hope that clarifies things, but please let me know if you still have questions or concerns. Hersfold ^(t/a/c) 02:11, 7 April 2008 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard#Template:Do not move to Commons

#wikipedia-en [25/04/2008, 05:17:57] <Mask> White_Cat, you have come such a long way from throwing fair use images everywhere when I first met you. Commons has helped you see some of the fundamentals in our goals, and not just practice. You dont get many compliments due to youre gruff manner, so I just wanted to poke in and say how much I liked your AN post, buddy

If you liked the short version, you will love the long version: Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard#Edit point alpha. :) -- Cat ^chi? 22:13, 25 April 2008 (UTC)

my talk

responded. ⇒SWATJester ^{Son of the Defender} 02:53, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Please revert your redirect

The person who restored the text supports the merge. It's been conclusively shown that the redirect harms discussion. Read the RfC. The first commenter was quite confused about the status of the article. Please revert your redirect, as it's not helpful to furthering discussion at all. S. Dean Jameson 04:05, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

• Also, your assertion that "consensus" has been reached is at least debateable, and the very topic of the RfC, which makes the need for the article to be up DURING the RfC even more necessary. S. Dean Jameson 04:07, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

No one really cares

I've ruined the entire premise of your essay Wikipedia:No one really cares with Chemical properties of Mr. Spock's fake ears. Shrimp Catcher (talk) 16:08, 4 July 2008 (UTC)

Nothing important

Hello!

Just dropping in about something I noticed on your page...

It says under "Things that annoy me" that you are annoyed by bad English, and yet under "You Got Somethin' to Say to Me?" you spell "alternatively" without the "e".

Forgive me if this is very snobbish to point out, but quite frankly, I am regrettably bored with nothing better to do at 11:00 post meridiem.

Truly, LaPianista! «talk» 04:18, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Renewed discussion about the EU entry in List of countries and outlying territories by total area

Hi,

I'm contacting you because you participated in the discussion about the EU entry in List of countries and outlying territories by total area in the past. So I concluded that you might be interested to know that two editors currently push for a change in the article structure that is in conflict with the standing consensus resulting out of our past discussion.

The consensus was to include the EU entry in the initial text of the article, but not in the actual table (even unnumbered). — Whereas the change that is currently pushed would result in moving the EU entry to the very end of the article, even after the references/sources table. The result can be seen here: [1].

The standing consensus was not my favorite solution, as I would like to include the EU into the very list (unnumbered), but I content myself with the standing compromise. Whether you agree to or oppose the change, I strongly feel that the article's structure should not be changed without a proper discussion and maybe even a new vote before changing the standing compromise. You might want to give your point of view in the current discussion at

Talk:List_of_countries_and_outlying_territories_by_total_area#Positioning_of_EU_.26_Antarctica_etc.

Cheers and take care, MikeZ (talk) 14:12, 3 January 2009 (UTC)

re: this

I can't say that this was to most eloquent thing I've ever read, but damned if you didn't hit the nail square on the head. well said! --Ludwigs2 15:42, 14 March 2009 (UTC)

Morse v. Frederick - Good article review

I noticed you contributed to Morse v. Frederick in the past, and just wanted to let you know that the article is currently undergoing a Good article review. Feel free to contribute more to the article if you wish! --Another Believer _(Talk) 19:55, 15 July 2009 (UTC)

Your note to Radiant

This was very nice of you. SlimVirgin ^{talk|contribs} 09:06, 4 August 2009 (UTC)

I agree very much with what you say; I have to remind myself of the same thing often enough. And thank you for your kind comments too. :) SlimVirgin ^{talk|contribs} 09:21, 4 August 2009 (UTC)

Make sure...

...that you run off to report my latest edit summary as well. Wouldn't want you to be accused of lacking good faith? Just making sure you know it had nothing to do with Sanchez. Wouldn't want you having the reputation of someone that spreads false information. ;] - ALLST✰R▼^echo _{wuz here} 09:20, 4 August 2009 (UTC)

Nevermind, I did it. :] - ALLST✰R▼^echo _{wuz here} 09:55, 4 August 2009 (UTC)

Nikolai Dmitriev

AKMask, please look it up, I added references and some bibliography. Thanks, Barefact (talk) 23:26, 6 August 2009 (UTC)

Thanks for your reply. I feel uncomfortable removing tags that I did not initiate, could you please do it for me if you find refs satisfactory. If still they are not, please let me know. Thanks, Barefact (talk) 01:45, 7 August 2009 (UTC)

Done, thanks. Barefact (talk) 02:16, 7 August 2009 (UTC)

Possessions (film 2009)

The Article on the upcoming movie Possessions (film 2009) does meet the notability criteria, the tag youp laced does not qualify. Nefirious (talk) 06:31, 9 August 2009 (UTC) I have put the article for deletion review. Please discuss Wikipedia:Deletion review/Log/2009 August 9.

Matt Sanchez

There are several points in the current article that are designed to distort who I am or my work. The lede says I'm an "embed on assignment in Iraq". I've spent just as much time in Iraq. I'm not nor have I ever been a blogger. I've never "blogged" and yet the article claims blogging and commentary citing my participation in Fox Forums. The truth is that I've written far more hard news for Foxnews.com and have only participated in Fox Forum when requested to by the editor. The current focus of the article on blogging is meant to minimize my credentials as a reporter. I'm also likened to Rich Merritt and Jeff Gannon. Two comparisons that are meant to smear me and are also awkwardly placed in the article

You said that I should not be drawn into petty disputes but these issues have been in the article for two years and despite many protests no one has even bothered to answer why or how these comments have been put into the article. Could you ask for some explanation or move to have the wording replaced? Also, there was an image of Ann Coulter and myself in the article and it was removed. The image is, however, a part of the general controversy. Any word on why it was removed?

thanks

Blue Marine (talk) 18:07, 21 August 2009 (UTC)

Thanks for the good contribs on this article AKM. As Matt notes above, it has been an uphill battle to bring balance and neutrality to the page. Doc Tropics 15:16, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

There's a difference between "balance and neutrality" and whitewashing. ;] -     allstar▼echo     17:59, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

Yes, and there is a reason you were banned from the article and related pages. Persuing this further is a borderline violation and any actual disruption will be reported immediately. Doc Tropics 18:09, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

Thank you much. And I just go by Mask, its easier to remember then AKM ;) --M^ask? 07:08, 25 August 2009 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Administrators'_noticeboard/Incidents#AllStarEcho_restricted

As you participated at the above discussion, this is to let you know I've proposed an alternate wording (for reasons stated there). However, it is essentially the same proposal. If you have any objections to it, please note them down. Thank you, Ncmvocalist (talk) 09:38, 27 August 2009 (UTC)

Why?

Why not discuss your concerns before putting the project up for deletion? You have had ample time and opportunity to discuss why you are concerned about the project. How often have you entered a discussion about an article or a project with a notification of deletion? How are you usually recieved when you proceed this way? Ikip (talk) 20:41, 18 September 2009 (UTC)

Ah, y'know. It's one way to start a discussion, and we get input from people we wouldn't otherwise. The MFD will run its natural course, and see what happens. Do unto others, right? -GTBacchus^(talk) 01:34, 19 September 2009 (UTC)

• Related to this, I removed the posting at AN/I. I assume you weren't intending to canvass, but it did come across that way. → ROUX ₪ 20:48, 18 September 2009 (UTC)
  • I'm not sure what you want me to apologise for; I stated quite clearly that it didn't look like you intended to canvass, but that the appearance was such. With such a contentious MfD it's better to not have the appearance of impropriety even if--which I do believe--your motives were pure. → ROUX ₪ 14:02, 19 September 2009 (UTC)

You are now a Reviewer

Hello. Your account has been granted the "reviewer" userright, allowing you to review other users' edits on certain flagged pages. Pending changes, also known as flagged protection, is currently undergoing a two-month trial scheduled to end 15 August 2010.

Reviewers can review edits made by users who are not autoconfirmed to articles placed under pending changes. Pending changes is applied to only a small number of articles, similarly to how semi-protection is applied but in a more controlled way for the trial. The list of articles with pending changes awaiting review is located at Special:OldReviewedPages.

When reviewing, edits should be accepted if they are not obvious vandalism or BLP violations, and not clearly problematic in light of the reason given for protection (see Wikipedia:Reviewing process). More detailed documentation and guidelines can be found here.

If you do not want this userright, you may ask any administrator to remove it for you at any time. Courcelles (talk) 02:14, 18 June 2010 (UTC)

Re: Poke

Hello, AKMask. You have new messages at CycloneGU's talk page.
You can remove this notice at any time by removing the {{Talkback}} or {{Tb}} template.

Jesus Mediation

[2] Noloop (talk) 18:10, 30 July 2010 (UTC)

Request for mediation rejected

The Request for mediation concerning Many Jesus-related articles, to which you were listed as a party, has been declined. An explanation of why it has not been possible to allow this dispute to proceed to mediation is provided at the mediation request page (which will be deleted by an administrator after a reasonable time). Queries on the rejection of this dispute can be directed to the Committee chairperson or e-mailed to the mediation mailing list.

For the Mediation Committee, AGK 22:05, 30 July 2010 (UTC)
(This message delivered by MediationBot, an automated bot account operated by the Mediation Committee to perform case management.)

RfC discussion of partisan sources at WP:RS

Hello there. You recently participated in a discussion at WP:ANI regarding the systematic removal of Media Matters for America as a reliable source. I've started an RfC regarding MMfA, MRC, FAIR, Newsbusters etc. Please participate on the Reliable Sources Talk page here. Skoal. Phoenix and Winslow (talk) 12:15, 31 July 2010 (UTC)

RfC: Partisan sources

I have proposed an edit for the mainspace of an important Wikipedia policy, the Wikipedia:Identifying reliable sources policy. Essentially, I believe that some sources are so partisan that using them as "reliable sources" invites more problems than they're really worth. You've previously participated in the RfC on this subject, or another related discussion indicating that you are interested in this important policy area. Please indicate here whether you support or oppose the proposed edit. The original discussion is here. Phoenix and Winslow (talk) 12:54, 29 August 2010 (UTC)

Re:ANI

Re your comment, I'm not taking it personally. So far, we have a civil discussion on the issue I raised. Whether or not it ends the way I suggested it should I feel it is important that the wider community discusses the issue of editors who continually badger opponents at xFDs. My view is that if the nominator puts forward a really good rationale, then they don't need to keep challenging each and every keep vote. Admins are generally good at assessing the consensus of AfD discussions and recognising invalid votes on either side. In the odd case where a mistake is made, there is a mechanism in place to get the decision reviewed. Mjroots (talk) 14:42, 2 September 2010 (UTC)

I notice that you closed the discussion. I don't agree with it being closed, but I'll not press the issue further. By raising my concerns at ANI, more editors will have become familiar with MMNs editing, and hopefully there will be more scrutiny of that in the future. As others had pointed out, it wouldn't be so bad if MMN was to contribute in a civil manner. He has shown that he can do this when he wants to. Mjroots (talk) 18:34, 2 September 2010 (UTC)

Thanks for the explanation of the closure, it is appreciated. Mjroots (talk) 05:21, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Please note: Wikipedia:Requests for comment/Mjroots. MickMacNee (talk) 19:02, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Hmm. It appears the ceritfier needs to be someone who has tried and failed to resolve the dispute, and not just some other person. Would you agree to certifying this as an active dispute, or are you happy that Mjroots accepts your closure? I don't personally think he does, and therefore, there is an active dispute here. MickMacNee (talk) 19:17, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Thanks

for the deprecating remarks directed to those of us "obsessed" with RCPatrol. Dlohcierekim 15:36, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

You're very welcome! Anything we can do to help push people away from the 'WP as an RPG' mindset where you have to level up quick and templates substitute for discussion helps a bit. -- ۩ Mask 15:41, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

yeah, people like me don't even deserve to be here. I am duly and rightly chastened by your righteous judgment. Dlohcierekim 17:17, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Oh, thats what this is about. Well, sounds like you came away with the right result then. -- ۩ Mask 20:02, 4 September 2010 (UTC)

Vandal fighting

your comments at ANI over vandal fighting are true that it's kind of a no-brainer. I usually do it when I have time to kill and want to work on the project, but don't sell it short there are over 18,000 incidents of blatant vandalism (the YOU SUCK, THIS SUCK, COCK AND BALLS, etc) every single day on the project. That's just to most obvious stuff, not the BLP or POV stuff. I wish more editors took the time to do it. I usually see about three or four people at any given time plus the bots, but we still see a lot falling through the crack :/ --Torchwood Who? (talk) 15:55, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Oh agree 100 percent. I even mentioned in the post that most of us should be putting some time into it every so often, dont think I believe its not important, but instead pointing out the people who do nothing but that. Who think its some way to race for an edit count. What dloh and i were lamenting above arent the folks who roll up their sleeves and pitch in from time to time but the fools who dont realize that if theres a new user screwing around with this shiny new website they found will respond and engage when left with a personal note, but likely wont pay any attention to one of those absurd canned messages that they can tell is machine-added. Or who would splatter vandal warnings all over *your* talkpage. I wasn't denigrating you, more letting you in on the joke. No one cares that someone once slapped a templated warning on your page, and it didn't need an ANI thread. No one cares about those stupid things. Hell, they started out in the Counter-Vandalism Unit and when we deleted that project for, well, all the reasons mentioned, they somehow escaped. You're doing a fine job. Don't fret :) -- ۩ Mask 16:09, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Lol, thanks for the reply. I agree the canned messages suck. I usually let them fly when it's blatant vandalism and usually to ip addresses. When it looks like a good faith first edit or someone not understanding how to do something I try to follow up with a personal note that's actually helpful.--Torchwood Who? (talk) 16:16, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Spoiler Discussion

Dear User,

You previously participated at the discussion regarding the collapsing of spolier's at Talk:The_Mousetrap. I invite you to comment at a similar discussion at Wikipedia_talk:Spoiler#Proposal.

Many Thanks

Seddon ^talk|^WikimediaUK 22:09, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

Cleanstart question...

Hi, I am hoping you can clarify something. I thought that WP:CLEANSTART was specifically so an editor who had changed their behavior for the better could get a clean start. I also thought it specifically says it is not a tool to hide previous bad behavior while committing the same bad behavior on their cleanstart account:

"Note that while a genuine clean start is not considered an illegitimate use of alternate accounts, a user who then re-enters disputes and topics where their conduct was likely to be noticed (blocks, disputes, disruptive editing, contentious and edit warred topics, and the like) may be seen as evading scrutiny. The community would usually expect to know that the individual has a past involvement unless this was clearly not controversial, and especially if there is still non-trivial involvement or involvement in disputes or editing controversies. Clean start is not a means to resume similar conduct while concealing a past track record."

If my understanding is flawed, please let me know so I can rescind my vote, but it pretty much seems to clearly state such on the cleanstart page (and related sections on sockpuppetry that it refers to). Best, ROBERTMFROMLI ^TALK/_CNTRB 04:45, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

I dont think you're misunderstanding it, we're just emphasizing different parts. Really, at the end of the day he's either doing something bad enough to be blocked or he isn't, and it doesn't really matter who he used to be. I don't really have an opinion on that question, I don't know the backstory, but who he used to be seems pretty irrelevant. -- ۩ Mask

11:15, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

Ah, ok. I still cannot find that part. Every part I can find along those lines indicates such protection is granted if they do not violate the purpose of cleanstart (which they have). So perhaps there is a part I simply am not finding. In the 8 or 10(?) years* I've been here (heck, way back when, IIRC, there werent even real accounts), the only time I've seen such steadfast refusal to provide a summary of their activities as requested (much less in a way that does not out the editor) is when the actions (very similar to these) were being performed by a rogue admin and being hidden by other admins. There was such a big incident many years ago. Regardless, my request, which it clearly states, is not to out the editor, but instead to be provided a non-identifying summary of their actions (ie: 7 blocks for doing (something), 20 warnings for (whatever), etc) in as simple a fashion as that. There's what's baffling. And there's what makes it seem there is more to hide here (I dropped Wikipedia for 5+ years after the admin incident (which I was not involved in - just watched it unfold) that I note above.

• Related note to clear it up in case you were wondering, I have never edited under any other account - I finally created one when I decided to do more than just grammar and punctuation work and decided to provide the (possibly vast) amount of info about me for full transparency. My previous use of Wikipedia was all as an anon

ROBERTMFROMLI ^TALK/_CNTRB 17:11, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

MickMacNee

Just to be clear, my goal is to get Mick to abide by WP:CIVIL, not to get him blocked. If it takes a few blocks along the way to achieve that, then so be it. Mjroots (talk) 17:42, 5 October 2010 (UTC)

MJR, blocks to get Mick to be civil have already been tried, and failed. But I doubt banning him will totsally succeed either, as his "personalitly" would make him a very effective troller. AKM, you seem to agree with Mick most of the time. Try disagreeing with him a few times, and see what happens to you. I'm not suggesting you "pretend" to disagree with him, but try genuinely playing devil's advocate with him in a few different places. I think you'll find he turns on you very quickly, and that you won't enjoy the experience in any way. Unless you like incivlil coments being made about your intelligience, that is. - BilCat (talk) 18:02, 5 October 2010 (UTC)

Bil, i have. I've been around this place as an IP for 6 years, as a registered user for 5. Mick and I have met in conflict. He was on the other side in the Fair Use Wars. He spit vitriol. And then we came out on top. His side lost. He moved on. He doesn't hold a grudge. It's one of the reasons I don't mind advocating for him. I know if he fucks up, I can walk over to his talkpage and let him know he took a major turn towards the douche. He can evaluate that as a comment on his behavior and I dont have to worry about it impinging on our working relationship in the future. -- ۩ Mask 18:08, 5 October 2010 (UTC)

Nothing you've said rings true to my expreience. Perhaps someday you'll experience the other side of him, but until then, there's no use arguing with you. - BilCat (talk) 18:26, 5 October 2010 (UTC)

I can assure you I have. Whether that 'rings true' to you or not is not really a concern of mine. Should you wish to verify though, go digging around in the archives from 2007 or so. -- ۩ Mask 18:35, 5 October 2010 (UTC)

What an amazing conversation here; are you Mask, talking of the same McNee we all know and don't love - or have you got the wrong person? I have studiously been ignoring so many threads about him for months on ANI and elsewhere, but when I see you talk such claptrap, I have to say that is mot my experience of him. The very hint of the word "Giano" on ANI is enough to bring bring him out like a ferret up a drainpipe. I have no interest in whether he stays of goes (so long as he stays out of my hair) but please don't try and sanctify him thus. He is not a person to be deified.  Giacomo  18:44, 5 October 2010 (UTC)

I'm avoiding Mick too, but he's making it more difficult, as he';s now badgerin people I think of as my friends on their talk pages. He needs to be stopped, but the enablers are making that very difficult to do. - BilCat (talk) 18:56, 5 October 2010 (UTC)

• Just rise above him, I have been here since 2004, I have seen them come and go. I know it's hard, but it is the best way. It's rather like when a dull repetitious old play that one has seen a thousand times, come onto TV - zapp it and find something more entertaining. I'm a great beleiver in giving people "enough rope." When the going gets tough go bury yourself in writing a brand new page - some people find that very irritating as its something they can't emulate.  Giacomo  19:05, 5 October 2010 (UTC)

• This is some of the most sensible advice I've ever seen handed out on the wiki. kudos. -- ۩ Mask 19:07, 5 October 2010 (UTC)

I can't comment on any of that Giano, only my interactions with him. I havent participated in any ANI threads about you in a couple years, and have not read any of them. I work well with him, he works well with me. I also work well with the rest of the community. Apparently him not so much. He went through 3 or 4 weeks hating me, then he moved on. Your mileage may vary. -- ۩ Mask 19:01, 5 October 2010 (UTC)

I'm not an "ostrich" person, and I sincerly believe that you don't make problems go away by ignoring them. Mick seems to enjoy badgering others (badgerer porn, perhaps?), and that isn't decreasing. - BilCat (talk) 19:23, 5 October 2010 (UTC)

No one has ever accused me of being a head burying ostrich before, so that's a first! My point was, employ a little subtlety, when so many others are watching, let them do the work - if one's in a field of sheep, one does not need to "baaaaaah" oneself. Be the wise fox who lies in a bush and watches (which is not an old Sicilian proverb, but ought to be). These days, I love watching Wikipedia antics - they are very entertaining (albeit repetitious). I am waitng for "Boy Wonder" to materialise, that's always so very funny - especially with the everchanging daft ammendum to the sig.  Giacomo  19:45, 5 October 2010 (UTC)

SOrry, I wasn't accusing you of that, just stating that for me, it would be that. Btw, he's been given enough rope to hang the moom from the sun now, so much that we're all tripping over the rope. It's past time to bring in the slack, as evidenced by the increasing number of ANIs filed both by and agaisnt him in the past few months. - BilCat (talk) 19:54, 5 October 2010 (UTC)

As per many occasions on the talk page for the Northern Ireland article, I find it hard to believe that Mick would ever move on. Especially when there are Irish editors conspiring against him... WikiuserNI (talk) 09:05, 6 October 2010 (UTC)

Sources of Notability for Tapioca Express (Better Pictures Found too)

^ "Franchiser tests lure of Tapioca 'boba' balls beyond California.". Los Angeles Business Journal. August 19, 2002. http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-25881166_ITM. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
^ "Taiwan tapioca tea on tap in Palo Alto, Mountain View". San Francisco Chronicle. August 23, 2002. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2002/08/23/PN167816.DTL&type=travel. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
^ "Quench your thirst at Tapioca Express". The Daily Cougar. June 8, 2006. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-124906382.html. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
^ "TAPIOCA WITH YOUR TEA?". Rocky Mountain News. September 27, 2002. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-92220160.html. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
^ "Missing dog is Kaheka Street pawmark". Star Bulletin. January 10, 2006. http://starbulletin.com/2006/01/10/news/story09.html. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
^ {{cite news |title=Tapioca & milk tea beverages |url=http://www.thefranchisemall.com/franchises/details/10488-0-Tapioca_Express.htm |work=[[TheFranchiseMall] |date=October 04, 2010 |accessdate=2010-10-04 }}
^ {{cite news |title=Sampling Readers’ Choice Eateries |url=http://www.midweek.com/content/columns/zigzagguide_article |work=[[Midweek] |date=March 18, 2005 |accessdate=2010-10-03 }}
^ {{cite news |title=Sampling Readers’ Choice Eateries |url=http://www.midweek.com/content/columns/zigzagguide_article |work=[[Midweek] |date=March 18, 2005 |accessdate=2010-10-03 }}
^ {{cite news |title=Tapioca & milk tea beverages |url=http://www.thefranchisemall.com/franchises/details/10488-0-Tapioca_Express.htm |work=[[TheFranchiseMall] |date=October 04, 2010 |accessdate=2010-10-04 }}
^ "Franchiser tests lure of Tapioca 'boba' balls beyond California". All Business. August 19 2002. http://www.allbusiness.com/north-america/united-states-california-metro-areas/254192-1.html. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
^ "Franchiser tests lure of Tapioca 'boba' balls beyond California". All Business. August 19 2002. http://www.allbusiness.com/north-america/united-states-california-metro-areas/254192-1.html. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
^ {{cite news |title=ABA Honors Tapioca Express Founders With "Strength Of Teamwork" Award |url=http://www.thefranchisemall.com/news/articles/12895-0.htm |work=[[TheFranchiseMall] |date=November 14, 2003 |accessdate=2010-10-04 }}
^ {{cite news |title=Los Angeles County-based Top 25 Firms |url=http://www.thefranchisemall.com/news/articles/12894-0.htm |work=[[TheFranchiseMall] |date=August 02, 2004 |accessdate=2010-10-04 }}
^ "UC San Diego Cafe and Restaurants". University of California San Diego. August 19 2008. http://universitycenters.ucsd.edu/eat.php#Tapioca%20Express. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
^ "Quench your thirst at Tapioca Express". http://www.thefranchisemall.com/news/articles/12895-0.htm. Retrieved 2010-10-04.
^ "Yelp Reviews of Tapioca Express". Yelp!. August 20 2010. http://www.yelp.com/biz/tapioca-express-san-gabriel-4. Retrieved 2010-10-04.
^ {{cite news |title=Los Angeles County-based Top 25 Firms |url=http://www.thefranchisemall.com/news/articles/12894-0.htm |work=[[TheFranchiseMall] |date=August 02, 2004 |accessdate=2010-10-04 }}
^ {{cite news |title=ABA Honors Tapioca Express Founders With "Strength Of Teamwork" Award |url=http://www.thefranchisemall.com/news/articles/12895-0.htm |work=[[TheFranchiseMall] |date=November 14, 2003 |accessdate=2010-10-04 }}
http://www.feryah.com/?p=6722

Free Crystal Glass! Culinary Adventures in Asian Dessert Cafes By Caitlin Donohue San Francisco Bay Guardian (2nd Largest Publication in Northern California, USA) Special Spring 2010 Feast Edition

Should ceaseless hangovers and clumsy, inebriated behavior ever sour you on the drinking scene, you could do worse than while away an evening in one of SF’s many pan-Asian dessert cafes. Cheap prices, pleasant late-night crowds, cultural cachet… the sole caveat being that, for the neophyte dabbler in casual Asian cuisine, menus can approach this side of incomprehensible. This thought came to me midway through ordering at Tapioca Express (1522 Fillmore, (415) 346-6600, [Please visit their website to see all their many international locations near you] www.tapiocaexpress.com). A whim had struck me for bubble tea, but in my naivete, I had come unprepared for what lay ahead. A universe of flavors, forms, and toppings were at my fingertips – it’s not unusual for a cafe to feature more than 80 bubble tea options; variations on form, flavorings, and toppings (“free crystal glass,” which to me sounds like a great deal...). Even ignoring the savories, I was at a loss. But I squashed the disorientation and walked away with an avocado [Snow BubbleTM], a tapioca-beaded milkshake whose creamy taste will dispel any hesitation you have toward desserts made from nacho ingredients. Sitting with my prize and savoring the peaceful, nonalcoholic hum around me, I knew: I was hooked. I needed more… thus it began, the adventures of a white girl in the land of taro, grass jelly, and [tapioca].”

The forefather of the bubble tea invasion, Tapioca Express... The Los Angeles Times April 28, 2010 Updated

The forefather of the bubble tea invasion, Tapioca express is still the go-to spot for quality bubble tea. Highlights include almond bubble tea and lychee icee (with bubbles or boba). Throw in bubblegum-pop tunes and you'll be sliding down that sugary slope in no time.

Asian Business Association Theme Award Acceptance Speech October 24, 2003

Good evening, Distinguished Guests, ladies and gentlemen, It is our great honor to be awarded tonight. Tapioca Express was founded in the fall of 1999.?After four years of hard work and dedication from all our partners and employees, we grew from one store to more than fifty stores in the U.S. and Canada.?Tapioca pearls, some people call it boba, are made from all natural cassava root starch.When you add the pearls into our tea, coffee, or juices, you have a drink that fun to eat! We are proud to be a part of positive contribution to the enjoyment of good food and creative drinks. We would also like to congratulate all other winners.?We are very fortunate to live in this great country at this time.?This is truly a land of inspirations and opportunities.?As long as there is dedication, courage, and teamwork, we stand a very good chance to succeed. Tapioca Express will continue to try our best to be a good corporate citizen. As we celebrate tonight we want to express our appreciation to our staff and our family members who have gone through many challenges with us.We would also like to thank our partners who run the stores day in and day out, trying to provide the best possible quality drinks to our customers. Last but not least, warmest thanks go to Asian Business Association for their good work to encourage the Asian American businesses and community.

Newest drink craze: It ain't heavy, it's my boba By ANH DO The Orange County Register Published on July 8, 2002

One hundred thirty-two people stream through in the space of an hour. Guys and gals behind the counter greet them, pouring chilled tea into a cocktail shaker, mixing, serving. The menu boasts 149 flavors -- sprinkles of peppermint honey, mocha snow, hot grass jelly. Nothing costs more than $2.59. Customers lounge, their lips glued to the hottest craze found at the bottom of a beverage -- boba -- marble-like balls that are not swallowed but beg to be sucked and chewed, one by one, through imported, plump straws. This is Tapioca Express, south county's place to be for the young, hip and Asian, who swarm the Irvine shop from noon to midnight, twirling convertible keys, lugging tots and ordering up a storm. "We sell at least 1,000 drinks on a Saturday, some 700 on a weekday," says owner Christina Chan, who can barely be heard above the din, sitting in her hip-hugging jeans. Boba is made of tapioca and it's addictive, youths say, like Skittles, Gummi Bears or M&Ms. They roll into your mouth, melt and your taste buds scream for another round, "I get it, totally, every week, It's more fun than Starbucks, and I work at Starbucks, but we don't have these juicy treats in our drinks," offers Jenny Le, 17, tossing back highlighted blond streaks. "We can go to Jamba Juice and get a smoothie, but this isn't heavy," adds her cousin, Nguyen Le. "It's cool." Boba bars carne about in Taiwan nearly two decades ago, when they popped up block to block and a lack of zoning saturated the market. It didn't hit Southern California until a few years ago when places from Monterey Park to Koreatown to Little Saigon opened their haunts, advertising milk tea, iced coffee and red bean pudding laced with the irresistible swirl of boba. Parents started dropping their teens at hangouts, hardly worried, because there's no alcohol. At Chan's shop, which she runs with partners James Chuang and Sergio Yang, two chenille couches lure those wanting to play checkers or channel surf, some tapping their feet to tunes blaring overhead. Asian adults load grocery carts at the nearby 99 Ranch Market with kumquats and sashimi while their kids hang out here, discovering their own community within the much larger communities. North of this shop, wedged between Love Music and a plastic-surgery clinic is Boba Express in Garden Grove, where customers get a free drink with every order of jumbo popcorn chicken. Happy hour starts late -- 9 p.m. -- but that hardly matters to the fanatics. "Pizza? Who cares? " shrugs Matt Tran, 23. "That's too much for this time of the night, when this, this is like a light meal," he says, slurping from a cup filled with coconut At Cha for Tea in Westminster, some boba enthusiasts like their drinks a just tad sugary, others really sweet. The bars -- unlike cafes -- count on students and young professionals rather than early-morning commuters simply because they often don't do business until the middle of the day. And as a way of keeping the clientele, some are starting poetry readings and art shows. Classmates bring their buddies to soak up the atmosphere, as Viktor Corpuz does with Clint Collins one afternoon. He first tasted boba in the Philippines; it surfaced in his cereal. Corpuz wanted to introduce it to his non-Asian pal, Collins. The juniors at the University of California, Irvine, study biology. They lean back with snow bubbles in peach and watermelon, similar to Icees, and survey the scene. "Lots of girls," Collins murmurs, his eyes lighting as a skater breezes in wearing an Abercrombie & Fitch crop top. At the next table sit two women with Burberry bags; near them are other women in pastel capri pants. Some basketball players put down a stack of PC and e-Gear magazines, leaving and making way for a bigger group. We are what we eat, but we are also what we drink, Chan knows, as she details plans to open a franchise just down the way from this walnut Avenue joint, across from UCI. She has 23 employees and is still hiring. "It's a cultural drink, it's fun and it's not a fad," she says, revealing the next step. They plan to head south. "Mission Viejo,? she says. "I want to take it beyond the traditional areas."

TRENDS: The tapioca-based drink is becoming a staple for young South Bay consumers. BOBA: Tapioca drink is latest culinary trend By Nick Green, Editor of DAILY BREEZE Daily Breeze Published on July 22, 2002 on Front Page

It's the summer of boba for the South Bay's young and hip. Stores selling boba - sweet, gelatinous marble-size tapioca balls added to cold teas, coffees, smoothies, juices and slushies that are sucked up through an oversize straw - have been popping up in areas with large Asian populations such as the San Gabriel Valley for the past couple of years. Now the black boba "pearls" are making inroads on South Bay suburbia where college students and children are enthusiastically embracing the trendy drink. Boba Zone opened in May in a west Torrance strip mall at Anza Avenue and Del Amo Boulevard catering to a clientele that is 60 percent youngsters, said 25-year-old manager James Choo. Alhambra-based Tapioca Express, the nation's largest boba chain with sleek, stylish stores that often play pop music videos, has opened franchises in Rolling Hills Estates, Torrance and Carson in the past four months - in addition to existing shops in Gardena and Torrance - and plans to open a second Gardena location shortly. And even some coffeehouses are adding the drink to their menu - the Caffeine coffeehouse in Gardena near EI Camino College began serving boba at the start of the year and has seen its overall business leap by 20 percent, said owner Michelle Kim. "It has been expanding very fast in the past half year in the South Bay area," said Laura Lin, a former Rancho Palos Verdes resident who recently moved to the San Gabriel Valley to become marketing director at Tapioca Express. "We are expanding into the mainstream market for sure." Boba was invented in 1981 in Taiwan - the name is Taiwanese slang for "big breasts" - and has gradually expanded its reach throughout Asia and overseas. Asians have long been familiar with the beverage, but now the market is rapidly expanding to other ethnic groups. When boba paradise in Rolling Hills Plaza opened last fall, its customers were primarily Asian, said owner Jerry Yeh, 25, an Orange resident who opened a store in Torrance because of the South Bay's steadily increasing Asian population. Today, in a "surprising development," 90 percent of the store's customers are non-Asian, he said. "I'm an addict," admitted Katherine Russ, 21, of Wilmington, an unemployed graphic artist taking advantage of boba paradise's free Internet access. "It's kinda like eating and drinking at the same time." Boba appeals on several levels. There's a boba drink for every taste it would seem: Tapioca Express has about 150 variations on the theme on its menu - and will soon offer even more. The cool drink is the perfect antidote for a sweltering summer day - although some people also drink boba in hot teas or coffees. And it's a fun drink with an element of surprise in more ways than one, which is perhaps why Boba Zone has posted a sign outside its store that warns its young customers, "Please do not spit out boba." "I love boba, it's cute," said 24- year-old Carson-based paramedic Jessie Cordray, while conceding the drink is an acquired taste that she didn't initially like. "I kind of got addicted to it - these kind of funny, sweet, chewy things in your drink." " It's like a phenomenon. They (Tapioca Express) could be the Starbucks of tapioca drinks. - PAUL GIANNOTTI, whose company supplies equipment to boba stores

Boba imbibers are a social bunch - the solo drinker is rare at Tapioca Express, Lin said. "A lot of (boba) stores are open really late, so it's a good hangout place," said 21-year-old college student Aki Inoue, a three-year boba drinking veteran. "Every one drinks it." Still, the scale of the boba craze has caught even those in the restaurant industry unaware. Paul Giannotti, whose company supplies equipment to boba stores, said he was amazed to see people lining up outside a Tapioca Express store in San Diego before its grand opening. "It's like a phenomenon," he said. "They could be the Starbucks of tapioca drinks." If trends continue, boba stores could soon be as ubiquitous as coffee houses. Tapioca Express, which has 37 stores, plans to have 100 locations by year's end, Lin said. Choo, of Boba Zone, opened a store in west Torrance because other areas of the city are becoming saturated with sellers of the drink. Yeh, of boba paradise, which opened last fall, said he has counted at least 10 boba stores in Torrance. "After we opened up all these other places started opening up," he groaned, adding that boba paradise has begun offering free delivery to offices and other places that order a minimum of 10 drinks in an effort to differentiate itself from competitors. "(The marketplace) is getting tough," he added. "There's only so many boba drinkers." Although part of the challenge of boba entrepreneurs is educating the uninitiated, some are already wondering whether boba is a fad that will peak and wither. Consultant Janet Lowder of Rancho Palos Verdes-based Restaurant Management Services, said juice and yogurt stores are closing. Not only has the craze for those products faded, but the demise of stores that specialized in them was hastened when larger outlets such as Dairy Queen and Baskin-Robbins muscled in on the market, she said. The same thing could happen to boba. But Giannotti believes the thirst for boba won't soon be over. "I don't think it's a fad because it's already a staple in other parts of the world," he said. "I see absolutely no signs of it letting up. It's too late to say it's a fad and too early to say it's a permanent fIxture. ... I think the end of the tunnel is a long, long way away."

By SAMANTHA LEE Staff Reporter Los Angeles Business Journal August 19, 2002

Wayne Lin wants his business to become the Starbuck's of "boba" drinks.

For the uninitiated, boba refers to the globules of tapioca that sit at the bottom of a cup and then are covered by a tea, milk or fruit juice concoction, sealed and sucked through a large straw. The drinks, with flavors ranging from the familiar coconut or strawberry to the more exotic sesame or Iychee, originated a decade ago in Taiwan and have been gaining popularity in the United States for the last two years - especially in areas like West Los Angeles and Pasadena. South EI Monte-based Tapioca Express Inc. claims to be the first company to bring a "boba" franchise to the United States and currently has 40 stores, with plans for 100 units by 2003. Tapioca Express' original store opened in Alhambra, and began franchising in areas with large Asian communities in Southern California and the San Francisco Bay area. "Word of mouth" The drinks became popular through word of mouth, allowing the company to grow rapidly, said Lin. Tapioca's president and chief executive. He owns the business with three partners, all originally from Taiwan. Interested franchisees need $65,000 to $195,000 to open a Tapioca Express. The company's corporate office receives at least 12 calls a day from people interested in franchise possibilities, according to Laura Lin, marketing manager for the three-year-old company (no relation to Wayne Lin). A typical Tapioca Express store generates $30,000 to $40,000 in monthly revenue, according to company officials. "Their revenues are on par with a yogurt, bagel or juice shop," said Janet Lowder, president of Restaurant Management Services, a restaurant consulting film. Comparatively, a fast food restaurant like McDonald's typically brings in more than $100,000 monthly. The Tapioca Express menu consists largely of hot and cold teas, coffee, shakes and smoothies, which are most commonly served with the tapioca "boba" balls. A few snack items are available. Prices for a 12-oz. drink average $2.50.While the company's formula has worked in areas with many Asians, the true test will be the appeal of the drinks outside the two coasts as the chain expands nationally. The company plans to open stores in areas like Co1orado and Texas where demographics are less likely to be primarily Asian. "They might encounter the same problems as El PolIo Loco." said Lowder. "Its concept came from Mexico and had a tough time outside of Califonia. It's going to be a challenge to attract customers in Middle America." Laura Lin said, however, that the clientele in its Old Pasadena shop is 80 percent non-Asian and the company is using its San Diego location as a testing ground for their nationwide expansion. Retooling the concept Company President Wayne Lin began by hiring a store manager who worked as a trainer for Starbucks in Taiwan. He also added typically un-Asian fare. like mochas, lattes (coining the phrase "Iattea") and a selection of cheesecakes to its menu to appeal to Amcan tastes, he said. While "boba" has been a hot commodity for Tapioca Express, basing business around one product is risky, and can easily be wiped out if a large chain adds it to their menu, Lowder said. "It happened to yogurt companies in the late '80s when chains like Dairy Queen and Baskin-Robbins added yogurt to their menus, "she said. South Pasadena-based Panda Restaurant Group has introduced the "boba" beverages into eight of its Panda express locations. The Chinese food chain currently offers three flavors -- honeydew, passion fruit and milk tea. But no competition from Starbucks yet. "Starbucks is always looking to expand our tea business and has looked into a variety of tea beverages, including the 'boba drinks." said Starbucks Corp. spokeswoman Kelly Hewitt. "But we do not have plans to introduce a similar drink in our stores at the time."

By ANH DO The Orange County Register Published on July 8, 2002

One hundred thirty-two people stream through in the space of an hour. Guys and gals behind the counter greet them, pouring chilled tea into a cocktail shaker, mixing, serving. The menu boasts 149 flavors -- sprinkles of peppermint honey, mocha snow, hot grass jelly. Nothing costs more than $2.59. Customers lounge, their lips glued to the hottest craze found at the bottom of a beverage -- boba -- marble-like balls that are not swallowed but beg to be sucked and chewed, one by one, through imported, plump straws. This is Tapioca Express, south county's place to be for the young, hip and Asian, who swarm the Irvine shop from noon to midnight, twirling convertible keys, lugging tots and ordering up a storm."We sell at least 1,000 drinks on a Saturday, some 700 on a weekday," says owner Christina Chan, who can barely be heard above the din, sitting in her hip-hugging jeans. Boba is made of tapioca and it's addictive, youths say, like Skittles, Gummi Bears or M&Ms. They roll into your mouth, melt and your taste buds scream for another round,"I get it, totally, every week, It's more fun than Starbucks, and I work at Starbucks, but we don't have these juicy treats in our drinks," offers Jenny Le, 17, tossing back highlighted blond streaks. "We can go to Jamba Juice and get a smoothie, but this isn't heavy," adds her cousin, Nguyen Le. "It's cool." Boba bars carne about in Taiwan nearly two decades ago, when they popped up block to block and a lack of zoning saturated the market. It didn't hit Southern California until a few years ago when places from Monterey Park to Koreatown to Little Saigon opened their haunts, advertising milk tea, iced coffee and red bean pudding laced with the irresistible swirl of boba. Parents started dropping their teens at hangouts, hardly worried, because there's no alcohol. At Chan's shop, which she runs with partners James Chuang and Sergio Yang, two chenille couches lure those wanting to play checkers or channel surf, some tapping their feet to tunes blaring overhead. Asian adults load grocery carts at the nearby 99 Ranch Market with kumquats and sashimi while their kids hang out here, discovering their own community within the much larger communities. North of this shop, wedged between Love Music and a plastic-surgery clinic is Boba Express in Garden Grove, where customers get a free drink with every order of jumbo popcorn chicken. Happy hour starts late -- 9 p.m. -- but that hardly matters to the fanatics. "Pizza? Who cares? " shrugs Matt Tran, 23. "That's too much for this time of the night, when this, this is like a light meal," he says, slurping from a cup filled with coconut. At Cha for Tea in Westminster, some boba enthusiasts like their drinks a just tad sugary, others really sweet. The bars -- unlike cafes -- count on students and young professionals rather than early-morning commuters simply because they often don't do business until the middle of the day. And as a way of keeping the clientele, some are starting poetry readings and art shows. Classmates bring their buddies to soak up the atmosphere, as Viktor Corpuz does with Clint Collins one afternoon. He first tasted boba in the Philippines; it surfaced in his cereal. Corpuz wanted to introduce it to his non-Asian pal, Collins. The juniors at the University of California, Irvine, study biology. They lean back with snow bubbles in peach and watermelon, similar to Icees, and survey the scene."Lots of girls," Collins murmurs, his eyes lighting as a skater breezes in wearing an Abercrombie & Fitch crop top. At the next table sit two women with Burberry bags; near them are other women in pastel capri pants. Some basketball players put down a stack of PC and e-Gear magazines, leaving and making way for a bigger group. We are what we eat, but we are also what we drink, Chan knows, as she details plans to open a franchise just down the way from this walnut Avenue joint, across from UCI. She has 23 employees and is still hiring. "It's a cultural drink, it's fun and it's not a fad," she says, revealing the next step. They plan to head south. "Mission Viejo," she says. "I want to take it beyond the traditional areas."

Taiwan tapioca tea on tap in Palo Alto, Mountain View... Staff Reporter Lydia Lee San Francisco Chronicle Friday, August 23, 2002

It's almost midnight on a Thursday, and the nearby Starbucks has long since turned its chairs upside-down on the tables and locked up for the night. But at the newest cafe on Palo Alto's California Street, Black Pearl, if you want to lounge on one of the black leather couches, you might have to ask someone to move over. On one couch sits Christa Demeke, 26, who is sipping the cafe's most popular drink -- taro pearl milk tea. It's pale purple, and sitting on the bottom are what look like black marbles. "We're the pearl milk tea fan club," says Demeke, who comes by a couple times a week for late-night study sessions. "I love it -- it's a special treat, like dessert." This Taiwanese import, which used to be found only in Asian specialty stores like Ranch 99, is now winning over the cappuccino and chai crowd. Pearl milk tea, also known as bubble tea, is a unique beverage experience -- it's kind of like drinking Thai iced tea and eating Gummi Bears at the same time. The milky black tea is often flavored with something like taro or mango. And spheres of chewy black tapioca wait to be slurped up through an enormous straw. It's a mouthful of entertainment. "If (pearl milk tea) were hot, it would be British and I would be sitting here talking in an accent," says Hamilton Tran, 27, one of Demeke's friends. "But it's cold and sugary, and has these pearls -- it's fun." Since the late 1990s, close to 1,000 pearl milk establishments are estimated to have opened in the United States. In the Bay Area, a recent mini- boomlet has introduced a new kind of cafe culture to the Peninsula. Strolling around downtown Mountain View, you can get a good indication of how trendy pearl milk tea has become. >From the corner of Villa and Castro Street, there are four establishments within a block of each other. In the past six months, Lucy's Tea Shop and Verde have been joined by Tea Era and Tapioca Express. On a recent afternoon, Verde was packed with young Asians standing in line. The atmosphere was peppy; the walls are bright lime, the stylish stainless- steel tables were packed closely together, and cheerful Asian pop music mingled with the sound of blenders and other drink machinery. Two Asian guys, one with long bleached blond hair, sat at the counter, putting together the plastic pieces of a Toyota Celica model toy. The ambience agrees with Peter Godden of Mountain View, 19, one of the few white guys in the cafe. He's playing Othello with his buddy Steve Lai, also 19."It's a different scene, a different environment," says Godden. "Do you ever see board games like this? People in coffee shops are serious and don't smile."Verde supplies board games and stacks of Asian magazines. "When there's nothing to do, it's the first place that comes to mind," says Lai. "It's a cool place to chill." Pearl milk tea got its start in the early 1980s, when an enterprising street vendor in Taiwan added tapioca pearls to his drinks. Today, the drink is as ubiquitous as soda, and the tea shops are practically on every street corner. They've become a major social gathering place for the younger set, from middle-school to college-age kids. "In Taiwan, parents are not so comfortable with their kids going to KTV (karaoke bars) and other dimly lit places," said Laura Lin, the marketing director for Tapioca Express, the first pearl milk tea franchise in the United States. Alex Rosten has never been to Taiwan, but one of the reasons the 23-year- old Stanford grad decided to open Black Pearl was to create an after-hours place for students. "When I was an undergrad I hated that there was no place to hang out," he says. "Everything closes at 10 p.m. and, if you're under 21, there's no place to go except for doughnuts and Denny's." On most weekdays, Black Pearl stays open until 1 a.m.; on the weekends, until 2 a.m. Over at Tea Era, owner Danny Han has noticed how his clientele includes businesspeople, not just the young Asian crowd. He's hoping to win over more non-Asian customers by steering them toward a specific flavor. The sign in his shop reads: "Special Recommendation: Roasted Barley Milk Tea." It may not sound like a hit, but Han says it's their best selling drink. "It tastes a little bit like coffee, so lots of Americans like it,' says Han. The variety of flavors can be mind-boggling. Compared to Baskin-Robbins, most pearl milk tea stores are way ahead when it comes to choice. Tapioca Express, for example, offers plain old tapioca milk tea, plus 147 other drinks. You can get 20 different flavors of milk tea, but you can also get pearls in a latte, a snow bubble (a sort of fruity milk shake), and even something called honey and egg juice. While some of these drinks sound pretty far out, they're offered in nearly 40 other Tapioca Express stores around the country. "It's always fun to look at a million different flavors," says Irene Yeh, 20, who likes her pearl milk tea made with green tea. "I look at the board for 20 minutes, even though I always get the same thing." While the pearls get all the attention, it's the tea that connoisseurs focus on. Ten Ren, a Chinese company that has been producing tea for 50 years, is said by some to have the best pearl milk tea in the area. Fans will also tell you that eating while drinking requires a little bit of concentration. "If you run out of liquid first, you have to be careful with the pearls," says Raheleh Mansoor, 24, who just graduated from Stanford Law School and is studying for the bar. "Once I was here (at Black Pearl) studying for 11 hours. I had two pearl drinks -- and I choked on both of them. But I keep on coming back for more."