Posted on October 17, 2024

Actor Simu Liu Calls Out Boba Company Over Cultural Appropriation

Emily Heil, Washington Post, October 14, 2024

A tempest in a teacup (with a side of tapioca pearls) has been brewing on social media. So why is TikTok in an uproar over bubble tea — and cultural appropriation?

The saga kicked off last week, when an episode of “Dragons’ Den” aired Thursday on Canadian network CBC. The show, which is similar to the U.S. program “Shark Tank,” invites entrepreneurs on to pitch their products to would-be investors. On Thursday’s episode, the founders of a Quebec-based line of bottled boba appeared, asking for a $1 million investment.

As the business owners presented their drinks, one of the “dragons” — the potential bankrollers — seemed skeptical. Guest “dragon” Simu Liu, known for roles including Shang-Chi in the 2021 Marvel movie “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” called out the business owners for the way they talked about boba, or bubble tea, a drink that was invented in Taiwan, has long been a favorite in Asian communities and in recent years has caught on around the globe.

Jessica Frenette described traditional bubble tea as a “trendy, sugary drink” whose consumers are “never quite sure about its content.” And Sébastien Fiset promised their brand, Bobba, offered “a convenient, healthier, ready-to-drink experience.”

“There’s … the issue of cultural appropriation,” Liu said. “There’s an issue of taking something that’s very distinctly Asian in its identity and quote-unquote ‘making it better,’ which I have an issue with.”

And he pressed the pair about the lack of acknowledgment about boba’s Taiwanese roots in its packaging and branding.

“I started this venture company for a lot of reasons, but really primarily to uplift minority entrepreneurs,” said Liu. “And not only do I feel like this is not happening here, but that I would be uplifting a business that is profiting off of something that feels so dear to my cultural heritage.”

Liu unsurprisingly passed on the chance to go in on invest in the company, although several of his fellow Dragons were interested, and investor Manjit Minhas ultimately agreed to back the pair to the tune of $1 million.

The episode triggered a wave of criticism on social media, with many viewers angered by the Bobba founders as well as the supportive Dragons.

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