Eleventh International Conference on Food Studies

Abstract

Bubble Tea is back on the streets of Vienna. The sweet beverage has quickly become a food trend amongst a predominantly young crowd. Images are shared on social media and the youth waits patiently in line at the stylish new shops, popping up like the name-giving tapioca pearls. Many of today’s customers may however not remember, that the drink was already widely popular for a short-lived period some 10 years ago. Also, many of today’s customers may not refer the drink to its native Taiwan, the island with the unresolved status 180 km east of China. The purpose of this research is to look at Bubble Tea in Vienna through a gastrodiplomatic lens in order to identify whether Taiwan managed to occupy the beverage as a means to its new public diplomacy. Through a mixed-methods approach, it not only sheds light on the actors involved in Vienna’s Bubble Tea business, but also on the messages conveyed through the shops and their menus. The implications offered by this research show shortcomings in Taiwan’s gastrodiplomatic use of Bubble Tea. These shortcomings are however inherent to the New Public Diplomacy as theorised in the literature. As such, this presentation not only advances the existing literature on Taiwan’s gastrodiplomacy, but also furthers the discussion on the feasibility and utility of New Public Diplomacy for governments beyond the starchy pearls.