Christina VarvisLike many students at the University of Alberta, I spend an irresponsible amount of money at Teapsy every week. In fact, I’m sipping on one of their bubble teas while writing this.
But unlike a lot of bubble tea places, my options at Teapsy are limited to just the iced teas and the slushes because everything else has lactose in it, and I’m intolerant.
This makes me incredibly, monumentally sad.
Unlike many bubble tea shops, including Chatime, Teapsy uses fresh milk in their milk teas instead of milk powder. While this is a nice touch, oftentimes that milk powder is lactose-free, which means those of us who are lactose intolerant can enjoy those milk teas without feeling like shit. But at Teapsy, the only option is dairy milk — there isn’t even the possibility of substituting almond milk or soy.
To be honest, this makes no sense to me. It’s estimated that about 65 per cent of the global population has some form of lactose intolerance — and as high as 95 per cent of people in parts of Asia, where bubble tea originates.
When I see fellow Asian students walking around drinking what is basically a huge glass of milk, I wince. Are they okay? Is a large portion of the U of A population walking around with a tummy ache?
Teapsy has the power to easily cease this pain. Just invest in some milk alternatives, like almost every café in Edmonton has done. This won’t just help those of us with lactose intolerance, but also campus vegans and those who are trying to cut down on animal products.
To be clear, I love Teapsy. I am its humble servant. But I would love it even more if I could drink its milk tea without dying. I would also give them twice as much of my money, at least, if they brought in alternatives. So really it’s a win-win.
Please, Teapsy, my love, just buy a carton of almond milk.
