Cultural appropriation debate bubbles up over boba business pitch
Source: TikTok/Simu Liu
A business pitch on a Canadian reality show has sparked global debate about the cultural appropriation of bubble tea, also known as boba.
The issue began when the owners of Quebec bubble tea business Bobba, Sebastien Fiset and Jess Frenette, appeared on Dragon’s Den (a show with a premise similar to Shark Tank) seeking a $1 million investment in their company.
Chinese-Canadian actor Simu Liu, best known for starring in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), was a guest on the show’s panel of Dragons (potential investors).
He took issue with white couple’s ambition to make “distinctly Asian” bubble tea “better”. Liu was not pleased when Fiset insisted their ‘‘innovative’’ changes, including using fruit juice and “popping boba” (balls that burst with liquid when bitten), meant their bubble tea was no longer an Asian product.
On Monday, following days of fiery social media debate, the couple apologised for their “misguided” choice of words and said Liu had raised valid points.
They also pleaded for an end to hate speech and death threats.
In a video posted to TikTok, Liu stood by his criticism, but also called for an end to death threats and harassment aimed at Fiset and Frenette.
“I believe that the entrepreneurs of this business came on Dragon’s Den to pitch a business in good faith,” he said.
“There were a lot of things with the pitch that I took issue with and I disagreed with, and as a result, I pulled out as a potential investor.
“But that doesn’t mean that I believe that they deserve harassment and threats.”
He said with English not being the French-Canadian couple’s first language, along with their possibly low exposure to other cultures, they should be afforded some “grace”.
Liu also defended his fellow Dragons, who some social media users accused of being unsupportive and dismissive of his concerns; particularly Manjit Minhas, who chose to invest in Bobba during the episode but has since reversed her decision.
@simuliusome thoughts on boba/bobba 🧋lets be kind to each other!♬ original sound – Simu Liu
What happened?
During the Dragon’s Den episode, Liu took issue with Fiset and Frenette’s claim that people were “never quite sure” about the content of bubble tea, positioning their brand as a solution to the alleged issue.
“Hang on, hang on, I’m quite sure about its content, but continue,” Liu said.
The couple then went on to say they would disrupt the multibillion-dollar industry by turning bubble tea into a “convenient and healthier ready-to-drink experience” with products such as cans of alcoholic bubble tea and popping boba.
The latter is already common at many bubble tea franchises.
Although Liu said the taste of Bobba bubble tea was “fine”, he was concerned about the idea of disrupting the market.
When Minhas argued “not everything has to be traditional”, Liu insisted there was an issue of cultural appropriation.
idk what pissed me off more, the other dragons den judges outright mocking simu liu for bringing up cultural appropriation concerns, the outright racist fear mongering of an asian invention, or the fact that bobba got a deal. if you see this at your grocery store, run away 😭 pic.twitter.com/GbTaMwiLnp
— m ⎕ (@playingcnmymind) October 11, 2024
Fiset defended Bobba, saying it wasn’t an “ethnical” product any more thanks to the use of popping boba. He later said the couple worked with people in Taiwan, which formed the “cultural” part of the product.
Liu criticised the pair for failing to give credit on their packaging to boba being from Taiwan, and said if he invested he would be “uplifting a business that is profiting off of something that feels so dear to my cultural heritage”.
Some social media users called out Liu for the latter comment, given he is not of Taiwanese descent.
What is boba/bubble tea?
Bubble tea is thought to have originated in Taiwan in the early 1980s. Two tea houses claim to have invented the beverage; Chun Shui Tang and Hanlin Tea Room.
In 2019, a decade-long lawsuit ended with the court concluding because bubble tea is not a patented product, the identity of the inventor was irrelevant.
Reported to originally consist of black or green tea, milk, ice, sugar syrup and balls of tapioca, the flavour options of bubble tea have exploded in the past couple of decades – as has the drink’s popularity around the world.
Now with flavours having ranged from watermelon to Milo, the global bubble tea market value was reportedly worth $US2.46 billion ($3.6 billion) in 2023.
In Australia, the value in the same year was estimated to be $US59.41 million ($88 million), with multiple franchises and independent businesses in the industry.
Canned and DIY options are also available in major supermarkets.
Although the appeal of bubble tea stretches across borders, cultures and ethnicities, the drink – or the memories created in original bubble tea shops – still strongly resonates with many people in Taiwan and in Asian immigrant communities across Western countries.
Taiwanese food historian Tseng Pin Tsang told CNN in 2020 that bubble tea reflects the “special mood of Taiwan” in the late 1980s as society transitioned “from old to new”.
“Bubble tea is a successful example of recreating a traditional food,” he said.
“It has become a symbol of Taiwanese’s self-confidence and identity.”
