Doctor Reportedly Found More Than a Hundred Undigested Tapioca Pearls in Girl’s Stomach (2024)

More nightmare fuel for boba lovers

There has always been a certain level of fear mongering associated with bubble tea: the tapioca balls can present a choking hazard, may contain unapproved or unsafe additives in some cases, etc. Boba fans, I take no pleasure in reporting that this latest news does nothing to alleviate those fears: a 14-year-old girl in China’s Zhejiang province went to the hospital with an abdominal blockage apparently caused by around a hundred undigested tapioca pearls, as reported by AsiaOne and Chinese news outlets like EBC Dongsen News.

According to the reports, the girl was taken to the hospital after she complained about stomach pains, couldn’t eat, and had been constipated for five days. The doctor performed a CT scan and reportedly found “unusual spherical shadows,” AKA undigested boba, dotting her colon all the way down her digestive system. According to EBC Dongsen News, the patient reluctantly admitted she had drank a bubble tea five days earlier; however, the doctor who treated her said it would have taken a lot more boba to get to this point. The doctor prescribed laxatives for the girl to get the undigested pearls out of her system.

As EBC Dongsen News reports, the director of Zhuji People’s Hospital’s emergency department said that boba, being made of tapioca starch, are already difficult to digest, but some makers also use thickeners and preservatives, the significant consumption of which may lead to gastrointestinal problems. WORTH IT.

And in other news…

• In a recent test of 91 foods, the FDA found “forever chemicals” — per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances that take millennia to break down and can have negative health impacts like increasing the risk of cancer — in everyday staples such as chicken thighs, baked cod, and chocolate cake, some of which had levels over 250 times that of federal guidelines. [Mother Jones]
• After clearing the Texas state House and Senate last month, the controversial “Save Chick-fil-A” bill has been signed by Gov. Greg Abbott. The bill’s supporters say it provides religious protections; critics argue it would permit discrimination against LGBTQ people. [CNN]
• A year after winning a case — in which he refused to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding — before the Supreme Court, the owner of Colorado’s Masterpiece Cakeshop is being sued for discrimination again. Nice to know some things never change. [New York Post]
• Sweetgreen has acquired a meal-delivery service, suggesting a future in which it will be even easier to get your weekday lunch salad delivered straight to your desk. [NRN]
• Katy Perry and Taylor Swift apparently buried the hatchet with some good ol’ chocolate chip cookies. Who wants to bet there’s some kind of cookie-themed collaboration in the works? [People]
• The New York Times may hate Aperol spritzes, but I guess Negronis are fine. [NYT]
• How are McDonald’s new limited-time ~*~international~*~ menu items? Apparently kind of vanilla and still too American! [Washington Post]
• Just magnificent:

• All AM Intel Coverage [E]