oh, so that's how they do it.

My friend Sam has known me since we were just twelve-year old nerdlings. (That's fifteen years, for you who are less up on the mental math.) Fifteen years later, she is a little less nerdling, more high-powered, and very successful--but still Sam.

Case-in-point: Sam, to her boyfriend, at our traditional late-night, after airport-pickup chinese food run.

"How do you think they make this boba stuff, anyway?" asked her boyfriend, pointing to the small squishy balls in the bottom of his glass.

We all paused and looked at it for a second.

"Hamsters," she replied. "Very. Large. Hamsters."