{"id":114225,"date":"2024-10-15T01:02:44","date_gmt":"2024-10-14T18:02:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=114225"},"modified":"2024-10-15T01:02:44","modified_gmt":"2024-10-14T18:02:44","slug":"simu-liu-criticizes-canadian-boba-tea-company-over-concerns-of-cultural-appropriation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=114225","title":{"rendered":"Simu Liu criticizes Canadian boba tea company over concerns of cultural appropriation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"\">Actor Simu Liu blasted a pair of Quebec entrepreneurs last week who went on Canada\u2019s version of \u201cShark Tank\u201d to pitch a drink they say has \u201ctransformed\u201d boba tea.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">S\u00e9bastien Fiset and Jess Frenette, founders of a bottled popping boba and alcoholic bubble tea brand called Bobba, were seeking $1 million in exchange for 18% of the company.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The company&#8217;s product, featured on the latest episode of CBC\u2019s \u201cDragons\u2019 Den,\u201d raised concerns online about culturally appropriating the traditionally Taiwanese drink, known as boba or bubble tea, that has become popular around the world. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The brand&#8217;s presentation sparked backlash from people who pointed out that traditional foods are often commercialized by people who overlook their cultural significance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Fiset claimed they had \u201ctransformed this beloved beverage into a convenient, healthier, ready-to-drink experience,\u201d listing only three ingredients: high-quality tea, fruit juice and Bobba\u2019s \u201cfamous\u201d bobbing boba. Their products include cans of alcoholic bubble tea, as well as grab-and-go packets of popping boba.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cWe think that this company can be worth $1 billion in the next five years, because it\u2019s so unique,\u201d Fiset said. He said the company just ended its second year with $4.6 million in revenue and expects to make $7 million this year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">After he took a sip from a bottle, Liu, who joined the show as a guest Dragon on Thursday, said he thought it tasted \u201cfine\u201d but that he was concerned about \u201cthis idea of \u2018disrupting\u2019 or \u2018disturbing\u2019 bubble tea.\u201d He mentioned the possibility of cultural appropriation, saying he takes issue with the concept of \u201ctaking something that\u2019s very distinctly Asian in its identity and, quote unquote, making it better.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Clips of the \u201cDragons\u2019 Den\u201d episode gained traction online over the weekend, with many viewers backing Liu and criticizing Bobba, as well as the other Dragons \u2014 several of whom brushed off Liu&#8217;s concerns and offered to invest in Bobba \u2014<strong> <\/strong>for potentially facilitating cultural appropriation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">In response to the discourse, Liu shared a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@simuliu\/video\/7424961636139666730\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TikTok video<\/a> Saturday saying that while he appreciates the support he has received online, he also condemns the harassment and death threats internet users have been directing at Bobba\u2019s founders.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cI think we\u2019re starting to lose the plot,\u201d Liu said, \u201cwhich is: Let\u2019s educate people. Let\u2019s make the world a better place. Let\u2019s make people aware that certain things aren\u2019t OK from a cultural perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">He added that although his fellow Dragons have also been receiving some criticism online for their seemingly dismissive attitudes on camera, they were \u201call ears\u201d in the break room to hear more of Liu\u2019s perspective.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">On Monday, Bobba&#8217;s founders <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DBFG-Z5xE-8\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">issued a statement<\/a> on social media apologizing for &#8220;the harm we have caused by our words and actions on the show,&#8221; adding that they take full responsibility and that Liu raised &#8220;very valid points&#8221; on cultural appropriation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">&#8220;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,&#8221; the statement read.<\/p>\n<section class=\"embed-widget embedWidget embed-widget--medium\" data-testid=\"embed-widget\"\/>\n<p class=\"\">Liu, a Chinese Canadian actor known for \u201cShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings\u201d and \u201cBarbie,\u201d appeared unimpressed as soon as Fiset and Frenette began their pitch.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cDragons, you have probably heard about bubble tea,\u201d Frenette said before Liu quickly interjected with a sarcastic: \u201cI\u2019ve never, has anyone else heard of bubble tea? What is bubble tea? I\u2019ve never heard of this thing before in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The entrepreneurs went on to describe bubble tea as \u201cthat trendy, sugary drink you are queuing up for and you are never quite sure about its content\u201d and said \u201cthose days are over with Bobba\u201d \u2014\u00a0prompting Liu to again interrupt: \u201cHang on, hang on, I\u2019m quite sure about its content. But continue.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">In Bobba&#8217;s apology statement, the business owners clarified that their comment about being unsure of &#8220;its content,&#8221; and their claim that their drink is &#8220;healthier,&#8221; was intended to refer to other ready-to-drink products like theirs, not traditional boba tea formulas.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">During the episode, Liu&#8217;s comments about cultural appropriation spurred some disagreement and laughter from his fellow Dragons, some of whom called him out for starting the segment on a \u201cheavy\u201d note. Investor Manjit Minhas defended the Bobba founders, saying: \u201cThere can be new takes on things. Not everything has to be traditional.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Fiset responded by saying Bobba\u2019s popping boba makes the drink \u201cnot an ethnical product anymore.\u201d Minhas agreed that the popping boba was new, saying she\u2019d never experienced it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Bobba, according to Fiset, \u201ctook the version, the Asian version, and we made it with fruit, with juice.\u201d But popping boba, a type of topping that bursts with fruit juice when it\u2019s squeezed, has already been a popular choice on traditional Asian bubble tea menus for years \u2014\u00a0even if boba is often associated with squishy tapioca pearls.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Responding to Liu\u2019s further questions about what respect the brand is paying to \u201cthis very Asian drink,\u201d the Bobba founders said the company works closely with a partner in Taiwan that manufactures the recipes and boba.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cThat\u2019s the best part, that\u2019s the cultural part of our product,\u201d Fiset added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">One Dragon, Brian Scudamore, also questioned whether it was a good or bad decision to call the boba tea company \u201cBobba,\u201d pronounced the same as \u201cboba,\u201d the general moniker for the Taiwanese drink.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cI am studying your can, and I am looking for anything that tells me where boba came from, and where boba came from is Taiwan,\u201d said Liu, who is a general partner of the venture capital fund Markham Valley Ventures. \u201cYou know, I started this venture company for a lot of reasons, but really primarily to uplift minority entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cAnd 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,\u201d he added. \u201cI want to be a part of bringing boba to the masses, but not like this. So for that reason, I\u2019m out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Fiset and Frenette ultimately accepted Minhas\u2019 investment offer, which fulfilled their initial request of $1 million for 18% of Bobba.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Representatives for Bobba and \u201cDragons\u2019 Den\u201d didn\u2019t immediately respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">In his video response Saturday, Liu, who has been at the center of several online controversies in the past, urged his supporters to remember that bullying and harassment are &#8220;never OK.&#8221; He said he knows what it\u2019s like to be on the other side of the internet\u2019s wrath.<\/p>\n<p class=\"endmark\">\u201cLet\u2019s critique each other. Let\u2019s critique this idea of cultural appropriation. Let\u2019s talk about it,\u201d Liu said. \u201cBut what we\u2019re not going to do is threaten people\u2019s physical safety and make people feel unsafe and cause them trauma that, quite honestly, they don\u2019t deserve as entrepreneurs who, in good faith, attempted to pitch a business.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/asian-america\/simu-liu-criticizes-bobba-cultural-appropriation-rcna175209\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Actor Simu Liu blasted a pair of Quebec entrepreneurs last week who went on Canada\u2019s version of \u201cShark Tank\u201d to pitch a drink they say has \u201ctransformed\u201d boba tea. S\u00e9bastien &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=114225\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-114225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-entertainment","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=114225"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114225\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=114225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=114225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=114225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}