When you think of bubbles, what pops into your mind? Is it rainbow colored soap? Carbonated soda? Perhaps even social distancing bubbles? 

This week, we’re jumping into a world filled with fizz, iridescence and deliciousness. We’re talking about how to make bubbles. How to eat them. And the unexpected ways in which they’ve shaped our culture and history. 

We’re looking at how the pandemic led to a domino effect from a gasoline decrease to a CO2 shortage and, eventually, a craft beer crisis. But bubbles aren’t just limited to the type that make you burp. Diving to the bottom of a cup of delicious bubble tea, we examine what lies at the core of the popular drink. Finally, we take it back to a bubbly classic, seltzer, and examine its significance in New York City.

Further Reading:

DJ Armen Hammer’s Soundcloud

You can find Grey Sail Brewing at https://greysailbrewing.com/

Check out Robert Ku’s other work on Asian-American diaspora, including “Dubious Gastronomy: The Cultural Politics of Eating Asian in the USA”, here

To contact Walter Backerman, email mrbubbles105@cs.com. For more information about the history of seltzer, check out the book Seltzertopia: The Extraordinary Story of an Ordinary Drink by Barry Joseph and The Nosher’s “Why Jews Love Seltzer” by Sara Gardner.

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