'Great British Bake Off' Grilled Over 'Problematic' Japanese Week
A recent episode of Great British Bake Off is being criticized for cultural insensitivity. The [...]
Cringe
Finally watching Japanese week on GBBO and there’s so many problematic things in this episode it’s making me cringe.
— Penny Moore (@literarypenny) November 14, 2020
i love me some gbbo but the japanese week episode was a downright mess.
— hallo prachtige vrouw, laten we samen de chaos vo. (@_lazulila) November 18, 2020
the secondhand embarrassment was real.
Many viewers' initial reaction was to cringe at the episode, seeing all the things it got wrong while everyone on screen seemed oblivious to the details.
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I can't get past the fact that the first challenge is Chinese I'm skipping this episode. @BBC should be ashamed this is worse than that fried rice video pic.twitter.com/3BlaJHqOcU
— Marissa (@liohila) November 8, 2020
Some fans left this particular episode unfinished, unable to get past an early infraction in the "problematic" episode. They also recalled previous time when the show missed the mark on cultural representation.
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THE SIGNATURE CHALLENGE IS A “KAWAII CAKE”?????????? pic.twitter.com/00vi5pSxK4
— karen han (@karenyhan) October 30, 2020
Of course, there were many who took to social media to vent their anger at the episode, first and foremost. They were incredulous that a big team of TV producers could all make these mistakes, guessing that it meant there were no Japanese people hired to check on the choices for these challenges.
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Melonpan. Enriched dough covered in cookie dough. Doesn't actually contain melons! pic.twitter.com/U0ifGzDySS
— Dr Emily Emmott 🐒 (@Emily_Emmott) October 27, 2020
Would've preferred seeing the contestants make shokupan or something like that rather than Chinese buns, just call it Asian week since it's all the same to people #gbbo
— Lia ⛄ (@missconfig) October 27, 2020
Instead of focusing on what the show got wrong, some users tried to be constructive, highlighting the opportunities the series missed. British anthropology professor Dr. Emily Emmott tweeted an extensive thread of Japanese baked goods that she would have rather seen on the show.
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As much as I love #GBBO I can’t help feeling offended by Japanese Week... Chinese buns and pronouncing 98% of Japanese words wrong? @Channel4
— Marié Nevin (@marienevin_) October 27, 2020
Many viewers see Great British Bake Off and similar shows as "comfort-watches," so they were sad to find an episode that gave them this kind of anxiety. They were reluctant to admit that the "Japanese Week" challenges didn't sit right with them at first.
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5 mins into GBBO “Japanese Week” and so far they all seem to think China and Japan are interchangeable 💀💀
— murphyᶻᶻᶻ (@bluechcrry) November 16, 2020
Criticism of this episode sparked some broader discussions about why the implication that various East Asian cultures are interchangeable is harmful. Many Twitter users explained how this perpetuates stereotypes and reinforces racist assumptions.
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I’m catching up on the new GBBO season and it looks like I’ll need a drink (or several) to get through so-called Japanese Week.
Having baking challenges that aren’t even Japanese, and having a Japanese Week on a season with no Japanese or East Asian bakers, is... A Choice 🙃
— James Akinaka (@JamesAkinaka) November 18, 2020
Finally, many viewers suggested that the show might have taken Japanese Week more seriously if it had had some East Asian bakers in the line-up this season to double-check the challenges. This was yet another reason to seek diversity in TV casting.
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