Old Dry Keith

Keith Brown, also known as "Old Dry Keith",[1] was a British petroleum engineer[2] living in Northeast China[3] who gained notoriety on TikTok in 2024 due to his bland sandwiches, or "dry lunches".[4] Videos of him making sandwiches were uploaded to Douyin by his wife Zhang Jian, who he met in Malaysia in 2007.[4] His videos led to the proliferation of sections in Chinese supermarkets known as "dry shopping areas", where shoppers could buy sandwich ingredients that were similarly as dry as those used by Brown.[4] Fans were noted as being "grimly fascinated by his dry, boring sandwiches".[5] His videos were seen as contributing to a trend in China of "white people food" throughout 2024.[3]

Brown died in September 2024 of bone cancer.[6] He had one son.[1]

  1. ^ a b Stavrou, Athena (2024-09-24). "China pays tribute to 'Old Dry Keith' who shared his bland sandwiches with the nation". The Independent. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  2. ^ Spencer, Richard (2024-09-23). "China mourns 'Old Dry Keith', famed for his bland sandwiches". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  3. ^ a b Glossop, Ella (2024-07-26). ""White People Food" Is Trending in China, Thanks to This Guy". VICE. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  4. ^ a b c McShane, Asher. "Tributes paid to 'Old Dry Keith' who went viral in China for his bland sandwiches". LBC. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  5. ^ "It must be true... I read it in the tabloids". Week (UK Edition). No. 1507. September 28, 2024. p. 10. ISSN 1362-3435 – via EBSCOHost.
  6. ^ Browning, Oliver (2024-09-24). "'Old Dry Keith': British man makes 'bland sandwiches' in Chinese social media video". uk.style.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2024-11-19.