Two decades ago, a modest restaurant in the middle of one of China’s poorest provinces saw its business take off after selling cut-price soft serve for just 1 yuan (15 cents) per cone.

The San Gabriel Valley, home to the largest Asian American population in the U.S., has rightfully earned its reputation as a boba paradise, boasting the highest concentration of shops per capita.

It was combative, raucous, and more out of control than usual. A schizophrenic prelude to the coming plod, like Hyde preceding Jeckyll. It was thick with out-of-order or political questions, ...