Take fruit, water and sugar. Filter it, and you get "spa water," a recipe that's gone viral on TikTok, not for its refreshing virtues (which are, however, undeniable), but for its origins. By giving a new name to what has long been called "agua fresca," the influencer behind the original post has offended a whole community of TikTokers of Latin American origin, who are calling out the cultural appropriation of this culinary creation.
Not a week goes by without a new recipe buzzing on TikTok. This constant influx of tricks and flavor combinations can give the impression that members of the Chinese social network are great precursors in terms of culinary inventions. But the tale of this particular TikToker is a prime example of how the opposite can be true, and how sometimes, it's important to give credit where credit is due...
It all started with water, cucumber and sugar. Gracie Norton titled her recipe "spa water." The influencer with 550,000 followers, who shares all kinds of tips for self-care -- from healthy recipes to makeup tips -- praises the anti-inflammatory benefits of her drink, packed with antioxidants. A perfect refreshing idea for the summer heat. However, it is nothing new, since it turns out that this drink is actually a rebranding of "agua fresca," a concoction that the Latin American community, and especially the Mexican community, has been making for a very long time. And that's the problem! TikTokers of Mexican and Latin American origin are denouncing the recipe shared by Gracie Norton as an appropriation of a part of their culinary culture.
So what's going on?
The invention of "agua fresca" appears to date back to the Aztec civilization. It involves mixing fruit with water and a sweetener like sugar, brown sugar, honey or agave syrup. The mixture is filtered to obtain an aromatic liquid that can be personalized with lemon slices, mint leaves and more. In a more traditional way, Mexicans and other Latin American communities also soak rice before draining it and mixing it with milk and cinnamon. The final touch is to strain the mixture and serve this agua fresca cooled on ice. In this case, the recipe is called "agua de horchata." Meanwhile, refreshing drinks are often prepared by flavoring water with dried flowers, such as hibiscus, or even with fruit like strawberries, raspberries and melon.
As such, Gracie Norton has not invented anything at all. And by giving a new name to agua fresca, the Latin American community of TikTokers felt so offended that the influencer who initiated the controversy had to delete the recipe from her TikTok account and even posted an apology on Instagram. But now, the influencer has given rise to a series of viral videos shot in a humorous tone, which each time make fun of the term "spa water." A user by the name of @alexa.alexuh, for example, filmed her mother in the process of preparing agua fresca and refers to what she's making as "spa water," which doesn't fail to make her mother laugh. The post has been viewed more than 3 million times.
Followed by more than 888,000 users, the TikToker @erikangel_ has created a series of videos that resemble memes, the internet phenomenon that involves riffing on a popular subject, often in a funny way. Each time, the influencer starts the video by ordering a "spa water" and asks the price of the drink, playing with irony on existing recipes that American culture has already appropriated. Meanwhile, TikToker @Danielarabalais denounces the cultural appropriation of agua fresca, parodying the concept by showing viewers how to prepare a sausage taco, which turns out to be a hot dog.
