Home

“Take your taste buds all the way to Ho Chi Minh City"

Burger King has been slammed for posting a “racist” advert for its new Vietnamese Sweet Chilli Tendercrisp burgers

The Washington Post reports that fast-food chain Burger King has faced a backlash for posting an advert that many deemed as racist towards Asian people.

Advertising the chain’s new Vietnamese Sweet Chilli Tendercrisp burgers, Burger King posted a video of people awkwardly trying to eat their new burger with chopsticks. The caption read, “Take your taste buds all the way to Ho Chi Minh City.”

The ad was see on the company’s New Zealand Instagram account but it has since been removed.

“The ad in question is insensitive and does not reflect our brand values regarding diversity and inclusion,” the company said. “We have asked our franchisee in New Zealand to remove the ad immediately.”

Korean New Zealander Maria Mo shared a tweet of the advert, which has since gone viral. Mocking the fast-food joint, Mo wrote, “chopsticks r hilarious” and “Orientalism is harmless funnnn”.

Mo encouraged people to “say no” to every manifestation of racism, from “the kind that makes fun of different cultures, to the kind that shoots and murders those peacefully praying in their place of worship.”

She added that the ad was created “as though their thought process went, ‘what’s Asian? Chopsticks!’”

“To me, it was just another portrayal of Asian culture that narrowed it down to a caricature,” Mo said.

Whilst many agreed with her criticism of the ad, some told her she was overreacting. She was forced to block over 40 Twitter accounts.

“Just because you yourself may not notice or be able to see it, doesn’t mean you can be a spokesperson for the rest of us that do,” she added.

In November, Dolce & Gabbana came under fire for an advert showing a Chinese woman using chopsticks to eat Italian food.