My grandfather loved tapioca. He always asked Grandma to make it for him, and even took it upon himself to make some once. As Grandma relates the story, Grandpa took an entire package of tapioca pearls and made the pudding–ALL of it at once. She refused to eat it, since she doesn’t like tapioca, so it was up to Grandpa to finish up several large mixing bowls’ worth of the pearly pudding. Needless to say, he had enough for awhile, and didn’t ask Grandma to make any for a long time. Grandma still laughs about this. He got his tapioca, that was for sure!
I remember this story now because, one month ago, my grandfather passed away. He died just a couple of weeks before his 91st birthday. On his birthday, I made tapioca in his honor. I love the bubbly, jelly pudding. Last weekend my husband and I tried out a new tea bar and had some bubble tea, which I also like. However, my heart is forever taken with the pudding, particularly the large-pearl variety. I’ve used the pudding recipe on the package for large-pearl, and this fabulous pudding recipe for the small-pearl type. The small-pearl tapioca is excellent for a quicker prep, as it doesn’t need to be soaked overnight, unlike the large-pearl.
I love you, Grandpa, and I miss you.
Love me, love my food. 