China pays tribute to ‘Old Dry Keith’ who shared his bland British sandwiches with the nation

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

A British man who became an unlikely social media sensation by sharing videos of “dry and bland” British lunches in China has died.

Known and adored as “Old Dry Keith” on the Chinese version of TikTok, middle-aged Keith Brown went viral for assembling his ordinary ham and tomato sandwiches and scrambled eggs on toast.

The seemingly mundane classic British meals were met with horror and curiosity from the millions of viewers they attracted and even began an online movement which saw Chinese nationals trying their own “dry lunch”.

One commenter asked “Is this real?” after watching Keith smear some butter onto brown bread however, following the initial wave of confusion, Keith became known as a paternal “uncle” figure among fans.

His account, ran by his Chinese wife “Jane” Zhang Jian, reached over one million followers on the Douyin platform.

An article written on the Chinese social media platform 36Kr said: “After watching a short video, viewers have changed from questioning the dry old man, understanding the dry old man, to becoming a dry old man. The old man is us, and the dry lunch is our dry life.”

At the height of the trend, Chinese supermarkets even began providing “dry shopping areas” in which shoppers could purchase all the essentials for a Keith-style meal including bread and baguettes.

However, earlier this month, Keith’s wife announced his death with a black and white portrait of him on their Douyin account. It followed his diagnosis with bone cancer in the summer.

In response to the news, his followers paid tribute with one writing: “I remember seeing uncle’s videos in early March or April and I watched them every day.”

Another wrote: “I have liked you for a long time. Goodbye, uncle.”

Jane, who is from northeast China, began making the videos after the couple, who met in Malaysia, moved to Britain following Keith’s retirement.

“I was quite surprised by how popular Keith became in China,” she told The Times. “It’s not that I didn’t expect people to like him, but I wasn’t prepared for how it would turn out.”

The couple share a teenage son. Jane told The Times that they would remain in the UK until her son finishes school and then later decide whether to move to China.