A tea company in Canada has caved to Marvel movie star Simu Liu after he accused the company of cultural appropriation after it introduced its version of a Taiwanese drink.
Liu made his accusation during the Canadian reality TV series Dragon’s Den, where would-be inventors and product salesmen compete to earn investment money in a show similar to America’s Shark Tank series.
The Bobba tea company of Quebec appeared on the show and noted that their goal was to “disturb” and “transform” the bubble tea market to make the beverage into a “convenient and healthier” experience, according to the BBC.
But the actor, who was a guest star on the show, was a bit disturbed himself, and found the company’s pitch to be a bit racist by taking an Asian product and claiming that they — a company run by white westerners — were going to make it better.
“I’m concerned about this idea of disrupting or disturbing bubble tea,” the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star said. “There’s an issue of taking something that’s very distinctly Asian in its identity and ‘making it better,’ which I have an issue with.”
The actor, who is from Canada, also asked the company if it had anyone internally who understands the cultural significance of the “very Asian drink.”
The owner of the company, Sebastien Fiset, replied that their recipes are made by their partner in Taiwan.
Liu also took a pass on lending the company money to invest in their products.
The troubles continued for the tea company, and its owners are now apologizing after a backlash against their “cultural appropriation” hit them online after the episode aired in Canada.
“Simu Liu raised very valid points regarding cultural appropriation and we welcome this learning opportunity,” the company said in a public statement.
The company went on to fall on its sword and said it would “re-evaluate” its commitment to giving credit to the cultural heritage of its products and to “ensure that they reflect a respectful and accurate representation of our Taiwanese partnership and bubble tea’s cultural roots.”
In an Instagram post, the company insisted that it wanted to “deeply apologize for the harm we have caused by our words and actions on the show.”
However, Liu tried to do a little bit of backtracking himself. He noted that while he believes what he said on the TV episode, he still feels the company was acting “in good faith” and that they don’t “deserve harassment.”
He posted a video to TikTok pleading for people to “be kind to each other.”
One of the other investors on the show, Manjit Minha, broke with Liu on the episode and did offer money for Bobba tea to improve their product. However, after the backlash online, Minha caved in and withdrew her support for the tea company.
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