By Charlene Lin
When I began to feel homesick in New York City, I visited a bubble tea shop near campus to find a taste of home. I ordered in a language I was not accustomed to speaking, and I completed the order and payment so swiftly that it felt odd – they did not inquire about the sugar and ice level I desired.
In Taiwan, asking "冰塊甜度 (ice and sugar)?" is standard operating procedure. An order cannot be placed if this question is not posed.
Upon receiving the bubble tea, I found it excessively sweet, to the point where I couldn't finish it. I took it home to dilute it with milk and attempted it again, but it still didn't taste right. I pondered, "How sweet is this concoction?"
According to data, a typical boba with "full sugar" in the US is 25% sweeter than that in Taiwan. Back home, I always requested 10% sugar. It came as a shock to me because the boba I received here was more than 10 times sweeter than what I was accustomed to.
In Mandarin, we refer to this level of sweetness as "deadly sweet (死甜)." It denotes something so sweet that there's no turning back, meaning it lacks any discernible flavor.
Comparisons: Is Everything American Just Sweeter?
In addition to bubble tea, I delved into another item available in both countries: Oreo cookies. It's common for international companies to tailor their products to suit local tastes. I pondered the disparity in added sugar between Oreo cookies in the US and Taiwan.
International Cookie Recipe Comparisons
Apart from the US-Taiwan comparison, the distinction in sugar and fat content between American signature cookies and those from other nations is also noteworthy.
What Sugar Does to Cookies
In baking, sugar is hygroscopic, meaning it attracts and retains moisture. Increasing sugar content can help maintain the softness and moisture of cookies. The types of cookies prevalent in Asia, where I grew up, were typically much harder and drier compared to those found in the United States.
The Tolls It’s Taking on Americans
According to the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the standard American diet (SAD) is excessively high in red meat, high-fat dairy products, processed and fast foods, refined carbohydrates, added sugars, salt, and calories.
A dietary quality index was developed to reflect the percentage of calories individuals derive from nutrient-rich, unprocessed plant foods on a scale of 0 to 100. The standard American diet reportedly scores 11 out of 100.
In-Real-Life Data from an American Friend and a Taiwanese Friend
To avoid biases and data manipulation, I interviewed two friends passionate about baking, one American and one Taiwanese.
"I usually add 1.5 cups of sugar to my cookies, and that makes about 40 pieces of cookies," said Aidan Anderson from Ohio. That equates to 6.25 grams per cookie.
"I don't like it too sweet... I always cut my sugar in half. I'd say per cookie would be... maybe 1.1 to 1.5 grams of sugar." said Gloria Young, a Taiwanese food blogger. She posts a lot of recipes of home-made boba and baking tips on her food blog.
In this case, there is a 4 times difference between the amount of sugar my American friend and Taiwanese friend find reasonable to put in their cookies!