Rhett Kaya: From internet trends to the latest pop album, there is always something CU Boulder students are obsessing over, opinionated about or adding to their vernacular. The Culture Critic will keep you up to date with the latest in entertainment and popular culture through content reviews, analysis and my self-proclaimed professional opinion.
Matcha is a finely ground green tea beverage, likely found in your local grocery store’s “cultural foods” section or the “not quite coffee” menu selection at your local coffee shop. But beyond a rise in physical demand, matcha has become a defining image in today’s digital trend culture, reflecting a level of food colonialism only quick-scroll apps like TikTok could amplify.
Content creator and linguist Adam Aleksic labels words like ‘Dubai chocolate,’ ‘Labubu’ and ‘matcha’ as forms of microbrainrot, claiming the often comedic use of these terms repeatedly highlights the absurdity of Generation Z’s consumption habits. Interestingly enough, Aleksic finds microbrainrot is often used to generalize and poke fun at Asian languages and terminology as well. Using microbrainrot terms ironically allows us to critique and indulge in radical consumerism simultaneously. Hence, the birth of “the performative male,” a term that implies men’s engagement with these items is automatically inauthentic or ironic.
The idea that men who purchase Labubus are doing so performatively implies that women must be doing so authentically, perpetuating the stereotype that women are ‘shopaholics’ and removing blame from men’s role in the unnecessary production and commodification of these items. Cisgender heterosexual white men might feel victimized by other groups policing their matcha consumption. Still, even their pleas for a stake in “romanticizing” a traditionally Asian tea contribute to modern-day food colonialism.
Genderizing matcha in the same context as Erewhon smoothies and arthouse films implies that certain groups, primarily white Americans, have the right to claim ownership over a product that originated thousands of years ago in China during the Tang Dynasty. Matcha, considered popularized in Japan, became a staple in East Asian culture, utilized for its health benefits, calming attributes and contribution to ceremonial and religious practices. Americans have turned matcha into a cultural symbol that represents Gen Z culture and often femininity, thus labeling men’s engagement with the product as an infringement on the tea’s colonial connotation.
In an article titled “Food from Nowhere: Complicating Cultural Food Colonialism to Understand Matcha as Superfood,” author Nick Dreher argues that American matcha brands market matcha as a nutrient-rich superfood. Thus, many Americans are introduced to the tea through a social media-reliant modern wellness culture. Suddenly ordering a matcha at Starbucks is seen as a healthier alternative to coffee. Suddenly, matcha has become a staple in online diet, wellness and lifestyle content, continuing to erase the Asian culture from the product.
Philosopher and author Lisa Heldke coined the term “food adventurers” to describe those who engage with eating ethnic cuisines as “an expedition in the unknown” and “a pursuit of the strange.” On many grocery store shelves, you can find “ceremonial grade” matcha, which Dreher argues does little to inform consumers of matcha’s history and origin. Words like “ceremonial” give consumers the illusion that they are consuming a more authentic form of a cultural food. This illusion often emboldens “food adventurers” to determine what it means to consume a product authentically despite lacking the right to do so.
As cultural foods make their way overseas, we must allow the perspectives and voices of those native to these foods’ places of origin to shape the way the foods make their way into American culture. Whether it’s a lighthearted gender joke on social media or a quick comment claiming matcha tastes like dirt, our actions and words are quick to reveal naivety and perhaps colonialistic instincts. While the popularization of matcha ultimately displays an appreciation and acculturation of Eastern culture within the United States, research and comprehension skills are vital when naive trends and discourse are just one scroll away.
Contact CU Independent Opinion Editor Rhett Kaya at rhett.kaya@colorado.edu
