Simu the Dragon: A Lesson in Bubble Tea

Social media blew up this weekend over a pitch on CBC’s Dragon’s Den where Simu Liu is guest dragon this season. 

If you haven’t been aware of the controversy, here’s the clip and since my post is specifically about how Simu handled it, it’s worth watching the entire way through for the way he addresses his concerns, not only on the show but afterwards. 

@cbcgem

This bottled bubble tea business pitches to celebrity Dragon Simu Liu and the rest of the Dragons (📺: Dragons' Den) #dragonsden #simuliu

♬ original sound - CBC Gem

 

This is, unmistakably cultural appropriation. And, frankly, cultural disrespect. Describing bubble tea as “that trendy, sugary drink that you queue up for and you’re never quite sure about its content” is triggering for those of us from East Asian backgrounds, and specifically Chinese backgrounds. Because it all goes back to racist stereotypes about our food. About what we eat. The whole MSG thing is wrapped up in there too. 

Characterising bubble tea ingredients as some kind of mystery (when it’s well-known what boba is made of) feeds into assumptions that many ignorant people make about East Asian cuisine and what’s in it. But the “never quite sure about its content” line is then followed up by the word “unhealthy” when the company’s representatives talk about how they’ve “transformed this beloved beverage into a convenient and healthier ready-to-drink experience”. And claim that they’ve “disturbed” the bubble tea industry with their version which includes “high quality tea, fruit juice, and [their] famous popping boba”. 

None of this is new. All of these boba features can be found in boba shoppes all across the world, after originating in Taiwan. The difference here, of course, is that, as Simu is pointing out, two white people are rebranding a distinctly Asian beverage and claiming to “improve” it. 

But I’m not here to go too in-depth into why this is problematic. By now, hopefully most of you recognise it. So I’d rather focus on the work that Simu is doing. He’s joined the show as a new entrepreneur and while, sure, he’s Shang-Chi and a successful actor now, in this environment, he’s the new kid, the freshman. And he’s out there on his own defending his culture. Let’s not minimise the fact that this was risky for him and let’s recognise that in spite of the lack of support he was getting from other dragons, he continued to vocalise his issues with this product, continued to speak up for his culture. Even if you’re not a fan of Simu, you cannot say that he wasn’t using his platform in this situation. He couldn’t have felt all that comfortable, I imagine it was probably intimidating, and frankly that’s not how he would have imagined his participation on the show. Because even though he handled it the best he could, and better than most, nobody in this position goes looking to be put into conversation where you have to swallow insulting comments (albeit unintentional) about your culture and try to redirect the discussion into more productive territory. 

And that effort continues. Because now there’s backlash against the business, and the owners are getting abused online, which isn’t right either. So it’s Simu who’s stepped up to call off the mob.

 Dragon’s Den posted a message on Instagram from Simu…

And Simu shared a video on TikTok: 

@simuliu

some thoughts on boba/bobba 🧋lets be kind to each other!

♬ original sound - Simu Liu

“I don’t want the legacy of this moment to be pitchforks and people fearing for their safety.” I f-cking love how he put that because it takes away from the education, the information. 

Once again, he’s doing the right thing. But once again, he’s the one doing the work. It was lonely for him on that panel. It’s lonely again for him as he attempts to redirect the reaction to a less harmful place. This is emotional labour for him as it is for so many people who have been in similar situations, whether it’s in front of or behind the camera, in meetings, on Zoom calls, at dinner, in every industry. And oftentimes they are met with consequences. In this case, Simu came out OK. But it’s worth remembering that that’s not the experience of others who could use the support. 

In closing, if we’re talking about bubble tea, my favourite is The Alley, founded by Chiu Mao-ting from Taiwan. There are now locations in countries around the world, including Canada. My go-to order: Mango Green Tea, with grass jelly, no extra sugar.