Simu Liu accused a company of cultural appropriation. It sparked an important conversation.
"What respect is being paid to this very Asian drink?"
That question was top of mind for Simu Liu on a recent episode of CBC's "Dragons' Den," the Canadian equivalent of "Shark Tank." The owners of a Quebec-based bubble tea brand called Bobba presented their take on the "trendy, sugary drink," per their pitch, adding that consumers are "never quite sure about its content."
Liu, who is Chinese-Canadian, interjected: "Hang on, I'm quite sure about its content."
Bubble tea is a Taiwanese tea-based drink made with chewy tapioca balls ("boba" or "pearls") that has grown in popularity worldwide in recent years. And while the entrepreneurs said they aspired to transform this "beloved beverage into a convenient and healthier ready-to-drink experience," Liu called it out as "disturbing" and cultural appropriation.
"I'm concerned about this idea of disrupting or disturbing bubble tea," Liu said. "There's an issue of taking something that's very distinctly Asian in its identity and 'making it better.'" Clips of the moment have since gone viral, with millions of views, and the moment has sparked an important conversation about cultural appropriation and how we treat people when they call it out.
Simu has since urged people not to harass the entrepreneurs, who posted a statement on TikTok on Sunday.
"We will re-evaluate our branding, packaging, and marketing strategies to ensure that they reflect a respectful and accurate representation of our Taiwanese partnership and bubble tea's cultural roots," they wrote. "We will also commit to further learning about the impacts of cultural appropriation to ensure we are equipped with the skills to effectively work cross-culturally."
What is 'cultural appropriation'?
Dr. Neal Lester, founding director of Project Humanities at Arizona State University, previously told USA TODAY he defines "cultural appropriation" as "stealing something from a culture that is not one's own and reaping the benefits or profits from it."
Cultural appropriation can look like removing cultural imagery and materials from their traditional or intentional context, such as wearing a Native American headdress as a costume.
In comparison, cultural appreciation "is when someone seeks to understand and learn about another culture in an effort to broaden their perspective and connect with others cross-culturally," according to Greenheart.org, an organization that facilitates cultural exchange programs.
Corporations have long exploited cultural customs
"We took the Asian version and made it with the fruit, the juice," one of the entrepreneurs told the panel of investors. When asked by Liu about who on their team was bringing the cultural component to the table, they mentioned a partner in Taiwan. However, Liu pointed out that there was no nod to boba's origin or Taiwanese culture on the can.
Melvin Williams, an associate professor of communication and media studies at Pace University, says this falls in line with a long history of companies and corporations exploiting cultural artifacts, customs and lived experiences for economic profits.
"While the Bobba owners can sell their products to mass consumers, profit modestly and walk away unscathed, the originators of those Asian cultural traditions will likely find their attempts to 'disrupt' the bubble tea industry highly offensive and idiotically ill informed," Williams says. "Liu’s commentary served as a master class in acknowledging the harmful implications of cultural appropriation and calling it out for educational and entrepreneurial integrity purposes."
Viewers flooded to the comments on viral clips of the pitch to point out a bigger issue. The other investors not only dismissed Liu's concerns, but rushed to invest in the product.
"The reactions to Simu his opinion, feelings, and quite frankly the truth, immediately made me dislike the others," @xmarissaaaaj wrote.
Another user, @sdmpurple, wrote, "The other judges owe Simu an apology for being so dismissive of his very real concerns."
Dragon Manjit Minhas has since decided to rescind her investment offer.
Liu added that one of his goals in investing is to uplift minority entrepreneurs. He decided not to invest, as though he wanted to be part of "bringing boba to the masses," he didn't want it to be "like this."
"Not only is this not uplifting minority entrepreneurs," Liu said. "But I feel like I would be uplifting a business that is profiting off of something that feels so dear to my cultural heritage."