The craze for bubble tea, or cha nom khai mook, started in Taiwan about 30 years ago and has since spread around the world, reaching tea lovers as far away as North America and the UK, where the first shop specializing exclusively in bubble tea just opened this year. The signature twist, of course, is the bite-sized dark pearls at the bottom of the drink, for which extra fat straws are provided. These pearls are made of starch from tapioca, a plant also known as sago and cassava in other parts of the world. The pearls first have to be boiled, stewed, then soaked in a sugary syrup for up to four hours before being deemed ready for consumption. Actually, they’re not even exclusive to bubble tea, but are added to other desserts as well. You may find them gooey or otherwise icky, but slurping up these beauties through big, brightly colored straws, are one of the joys of bubble tea, making them insanely popular and prompting shop owners to come up with their own fun, flavorful and chew-worthy alternatives, ranging from jellies to pudding mixes. Here we round up some of the stranger options that the top bubble tea shops in Bangkok have to offer:

Dakasi: pineapple jelly, aloe, chocolate pudding
Mr. Cup: chao kuay (grass jelly), vanilla ice cream
Mr. Shake:  honey jelly, milk pudding, apple jelly
T.Bar: kanten (a Japanese gelatin)
Miss Mamon: azuki (red) beans, milk pudding