Bobba case: dialogue around bubble tea with the Quebec Asian community

A television segment about bubble tea touched a sore spot in the Asian diaspora. This drink — made from tea, milk, and tapioca pearls — is originally from Taiwan and is also known as” Bubble Tea ” or” Boba ”. It is an important cultural symbol, a connection to the roots of Taiwanese and, more broadly, Asian culture.

On October 10, Sébastien Fiset and Jessica Frenette, two French-speaking white Quebec entrepreneurs, participated in the show Dragon's Den to present their bubble tea company, Bobba, to a panel of potential investors. Their initiative elicited mixed reactions, with some seeing it as a cultural appropriation of the Asian roots of Bubble Tea, others, an opportunity to further popularize this drink. Report.

During their appearance on the show, Sébastien Fiset and Jessica Frenette say that they are revolutionizing the Bubble Tea. “Surely you have already heard of Bubble Tea, that trendy sweet drink that you line up for and whose contents you are never sure of,” says Jessica Frenette on television right away. “These days are over with Bobba! ” exclaims Sébastien Fiset. The duo explains that they are making the drink “healthier” by using fruit juice and offering it in bottle format. They explain innovating by creating sparkling pearls and adding alcohol to them. Entrepreneurs say they started this project because it was trendy and there were a lot of profits to be made.

Opposite, Simu Liu, a Chinese Canadian dragon on the show, seems confused. “There is a problem of cultural appropriation. The problem is taking something very distinctly Asian in one's identity and supposedly improving it, that's something I have a problem with,” says the investor. Sébastien Fiset then replies that Bobba “is no longer an ethnic product, not with bright pearls, we took the Asian version and prepared it with fruits and juices”, he replies. Questioned on the Asian origins of the product by the jury panel, Sébastien Fiset mentions a Taiwanese supplier. The firm finally accepts the investment offer from Manjit Minhas — an offer that she has since withdrawn.

Since the broadcast of the show, The Asian diaspora denounces the cultural confiscation of this Quebec company. This controversy has grown so much that Simu Liu Spoke out on social networks. He said that while he appreciated the discussion about cultural appropriation that the segment generated, it was unacceptable for Internet users to send death threats to Sébastien Fiset and Jessica Frenette — A position that is shared Dragon's Den. Two days after the broadcast, the investor agreed to invest in TWRL, a bubble tea company founded by two women from Taiwan and Hong Kong, after supported Simu Liu publicly. Bobba has since issued an apology on Her Instagram account.

Creating a community gathering place

When you step into the Ocha Bubble Tea Café in Montreal, you're immediately taken in by the airy decor and the two giant eggshell chairs to the left of the door. Young people sitting on benches waiting for their order or chatting with their friends. Kevin Tulud, one of the owners and founders of the café, works behind the counter to concoct drinks from ingredients that his team has carefully chosen. The noise of the machines that prepare drinks creates the ambiance of the room.

Founded in 2022 by Kevin Tulud and Jonah Xu, two second-generation Asians in their thirties, the Ocha bubble tea room offers flavors and colors that are still rare in Montreal, such as cube lattes and mochis donuts. Ocha is one of a dozen bubble tea rooms that have been opened by Asians in the past 15 years near the Guy-Concordia metro station, in the vicinity of a large Asian population.

Jonah Xu, of Chinese and Hong Kong descent, and Kevin Tulud, of Filipino origin, and Kevin Tulud, of Filipino origin, recall their teenage memories: their friends used bubble tea as a tool for community gathering. “We grew up in Montreal, and the Asian community was small, especially at the time. But what is it that we are attracted to? ” Jonah Xu says with a nostalgic air. “At the time, there was karaoke, the Chinese school, but also the Chilling Spot as they say. We went back in time to L2 [a bubble tea café in Chinatown, editor's note], for example, [...] then we Chillait There.” His partner agrees: “For me, bubble tea is for relaxing with friends, while enjoying great drinks and maybe good food too. It's just being together,” he says with a big smile.

Eager to offer others the great experiences of their adolescence, the two entrepreneurs created Ocha. They have integrated Asian products into their drinks and snacks that we still don't see in Montreal. “In fact, we try as much as possible to exploit products that other stores don't have,” explains Jonah Xu. To do this, the two entrepreneurs travel to Asia to select ingredients. They are also working with ethnic partners from across Asia to create a pan-Asian menu. “For example, Viet matcha coffee. It is a combination of Japanese matcha and Vietnamese coffee. Or the ube latte, who is Filipino, just to name a few, exposes Jonah Xu. Our goal is really to find the most products that we like, that are popular, and to bring them to Montreal.”

“How do you want to sell something you don't really know? ”

Kevin Tulud and Jonah Xu emphasize that it is essential to respect the origins and traditions associated with bubble tea. “What really upset me is that they say it's healthier,” says Jonah Xu. Contrary to the claims of Bobba's entrepreneurs, bright pearls are found in several salons of Bubble tea in Montreal. The owner of Ocha recalls that this product is even mainly sold in North America. According to him, the inclusion of these pearls, which are rich in sugar, goes against Bobba's marketing message, which focuses on health.

“Then, they say that, in [other] bubble tea products, we don't really know what's there,” Jonah Xu is outraged. This was a bit of a shock to me, because in reality, most Asians know what products are used in bubble tea! ”

During his Pitch, Sébastien Fiset mentioned that he had embarked on this adventure, because he saw the possibility of making a significant profit and that Bobba was no longer an “ethnic product”. Kevin Tulud is sorry. “If they really believe that bottled bubble tea is trending now and that they can make money easily, I'm sorry, but that's not the right approach,” he says. “Imagine, research, development, testing. It's all hours and hours of work before launching a flavor. It's not quick money, it's hard to make money! I think Bobba didn't have a passion for his product and that's what caused the controversy.”

Jonah Xu believes that it is possible for an entrepreneur to start a business with a product that comes from a culture other than his own, as long as he does so with respect. In particular, he cites non-Japanese chefs who are trained in Japan to learn the traditions of making sushi before opening a sushi business.

“If the entrepreneurs at [Bobba] had done their research, had done their Pitch In another way, with better facts, most Asians in Quebec or Asians in the world would have agreed with their products, he believes. Because bubble tea in cans does exist. In fact, you can buy them here, everywhere, they already exist. It's just a question of how [Bobba] can do it.” “How do you want to sell something you don't really know? ” adds Kevin Tulud. According to the co-founder of Ocha, Bobba's entrepreneurs should have been better prepared for Simu Liu, an Asian investor with cultural expertise in bubble tea. However, Kevin Tulud does not want to fuel the controversy against the company. He would prefer to have a dialogue with Bobba's owners to educate them and point them in the right direction.

A modern manifestation of the “Chinese restaurant syndrome”

Rachel Cheng, a food specialist who has worked in the community for over 10 years, was disappointed but not surprised by the Pitch From Bobba to Dragon's Den. “In Quebec, we get a bit used to that, to this kind of talk,” she said. There is a problem of cultural appropriation because we tend to ignore these kinds of issues, especially in the area of food.” Having grown up in Toronto, but having settled in Quebec for over 16 years, Rachel Cheng says she felt culturally alienated after moving. She frowns when she mentions this period, painful memories seem to come back to the surface. “There are a lot of important conversations taking place in English elsewhere in the world about cultural appropriation, about equity, about anti-racism, which, in my opinion [...], I think [...], don't always pierce the French-speaking world because of the language,” she thinks.

Through her work with community organizations committed to equitable production and access to culturally appropriate foods, she notes that issues of cultural appropriation are often misunderstood. “I see so many examples in food, where recipes from other cultures are used. While this may be done with good intentions, there is often a lack of effort to develop genuine interest or cultural curiosity in order to respect these traditions,” explains M.^Me Cheng. She often suggests that the organizations she works with should be aware of the power dynamics present in society. “If you are a French-speaking [white] Quebec leader, it gives you certain levels of privilege, and also a responsibility somewhere to name the other cultures [that] you [use to make a profit].”

“Bubble tea is something that has existed since the 1980s in Taiwan. At their core, these are three very simple ingredients: black tea, a little bit of milk and tapioca pearls,” recalls the specialist. According to her, several Asian cultures have long culinary traditions dedicated to tea. There are traditions, such as traditional Chinese medicine, where the best herbs and plants are chosen to make tea that heals the body and mind. There are others that are more ceremonial — such as tea ceremonies that take place during Chinese weddings — or spiritual — such as matcha tea ceremonies linked to Zen Buddhism. “So, when someone who is not from an Asian culture, and does not know the culinary tradition with tea, he says that his tea is better for one's health, and this is new, it touches on several very sensitive points of Taiwanese identity. “Asian identity,” explains M.^Me Cheng.

The strong reaction of the Asian community is in part linked to the history of the Chinese restaurant in the 1960s, which stigmatized Asian cuisine, adds the food specialist. “[This syndrome] appeared in a medical journal. A doctor said, “When I eat at a Chinese restaurant, I don't feel well afterwards.” Then, over the years, several people [agreed with him and] blamed monosodium glutamate (MSG),” she says. “Like anything, like salt or sugar, it should be consumed in moderation, of course. But since then, [this syndrome] has been refuted in other scientific articles.” This is why, she explains, Bobba's claim that “you can never be sure of the contents” of bubble teas has rekindled old wounds in the Asian community. It aroused immense anger at the company. “For them, to say that they made their tea cleaner, more Clean, plus health — it's factually wrong and it's just a bit ignorant,” she explains.

One Gaslighting televisual

When digital producer David Trang saw the Bobba segment switch to Dragon's Den On TikTok, he was shocked. After a weekend of analyzing the reactions of Internet users, he realized that the outcry was growing more and more and spoke on Instagram. As a child, he suffered the consequences of the historical distrust that affected Asian cuisine: “When I was young and I drank Bubble Tea, I was judged, ridiculed, and intimidated because I drank something that seemed weird, disgusting, and unusual, he said. Today, it's the same type of people who want to take ownership of this recipe and all of its history.”

For the producer, the reaction of the other members of the jury to Simu Liu's concerns is linked to the racial dynamics experienced by Asians, who are often perceived as model minorities. He sees it as a “genuine gaslighting”. In this context, it is difficult to be taken seriously when you dare to denounce anything, he says. An analysis shared by Rachel Cheng. “People tend not to listen to us when we have demands.”

“Seeing the other dragons ignore his opinion, ridiculing him on television was Triggering for me, because it's always the same story when a situation like this involves Asians,” says David Trang. The Pitch From Bobba to Dragon's Den troubled him. “But at the same time, I'm glad it was broadcast because [otherwise] we wouldn't have had this discussion today. Did they do that to make it explode and go viral? It could be an editorial decision. If this is the case, other questions arise: is it ethical to take advantage of something like this, to make it viral and to make people react? ” he asks himself.

For David Trang, this controversy refers to a deeper problem, related to how Asian culture is colonized and how we appropriate it, not to mention systemic racism that is not recognized in Quebec.

Cultural appreciation is possible

Winston Chan, who has been working in entrepreneurship for over 10 years, is proud to have seen Simu Liu on television, an entrepreneur in a position of power. Despite his busy schedule, he wanted to talk to us. “It's very rare to see Asians in Canada or North America in a position of authority. I think it bothered people a lot,” he said.

According to him, starting a business with a product from another culture is possible if you do it while respecting its origins. “Cultural appreciation is when you get involved with people from these communities in the design, marketing, promotion, and communication of the product,” he lists. The Cambodian restaurant Pumpui, the Indian snack bar Super Qualité and the Japanese restaurant Fleurs et Cadeaux are, in his opinion, examples of Asian cultural appreciation in Montreal. “If we take the case of Bobba, there is no Asian reference. In fact, that was the intention of the entrepreneurs; they even said that it was no longer an ethnic product.”

Mr. Chan is also strongly critical of the lack of mention of the Taiwanese supplier in company communications and on product packaging. In his opinion, Bobba should have tried to understand the Asian community's relationship with bubble tea. “It's an excuse for people to gather with friends in communities all over the world. For them, it is a link with Asia. It's much more than a drink,” he explains.

A start of dialogue?

For her part, Rachel Cheng would like to invite Bobba entrepreneurs to try quality bubble tea. “I want to invite them to have real bubble tea, a really good tea [...] to let them taste the diversity of flavors and to observe the role that bubble tea plays in Asian communities,” she continues. They've already taken a trip to Taiwan, they're working with someone there who makes recipes. I would say do that, but [push] even [further] and see why their packaging, their story, their product is so hurtful to the Asian community. You have to have a moment of introspection.”

After trying several times to communicate with Bobba by email and on social media, La Converse did not get a response. Company representatives said on Instagram that they “were deeply sorry for hurting [Asian communities] with [their] words and [their] actions during the show.” It was not their “intention to cause harm and disrespect to the community that created and popularized this beloved drink.” They also say they “take full responsibility for the impact of [their] actions” and indicate that they want to “commit to learning more about the impacts of cultural appropriation.”

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