How a ham and tomato sandwich turned a British pensioner into ‘Old Dry Keith’ – a phenomenon whose boring daily snack routine was watched by millions of Chinese fans shocked by his bland food

Keith Brown never imagined that a ham and tomato sandwich would become his daily bread.

But just preparing his daily snack turned the retired British engineer into the world’s most unlikely internet phenomenon.

Although it may not be considered the most appetising dish in other countries, it has become extremely popular in China thanks to the work of a British retiree known as ‘Old Dry Keith’, who has sadly passed away.

Mr Brown, a retired petroleum engineer, rose to fame two years ago after his wife posted a video online of him attempting to make the classic British snack: a ham and tomato sandwich.

While a simple sandwich might not be the last thing someone would become famous for, ‘Old Dry Keith’ became a hit with millions of Chinese fans who understood the situation where Keith had to make the snack with substandard ingredients.

Mr Brown rose to fame two years ago after his wife posted a video online of him making the British classic ham and tomato sandwich

Users of Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, were inconsolable after Keith’s wife, ‘Jane’ Zhang Jian, announced that he had died this summer from a diagnosis of bone cancer.

She started posting the videos when the couple, who met in Malaysia in 2007, moved back to Britain after Brown retired.

Zhang, 49, originally from northeastern China, was new to Britain and her audience identified with her struggle to adapt to life in the UK.

Due to China’s vast size, there are large regional differences, especially when it comes to the availability of Western foods.

While internationally known sandwich shops like Subway are often found in Beijing and Shanghai, Western food can be difficult to find in other parts of the country.

After Keith’s videos became popular, some supermarkets in urban middle-class areas began selling ‘Old Drys’.

Chinese writer Zhou Zhiruo, who analyzed the issue with accompanying photos of Paddington Bear, Harry Potter characters and Dame Maggie Smith As they all ate sandwiches, they remarked, “Aren’t we all like Old Dry Keith?”

When Brown couldn’t find avocados to go with his smoked salmon, Zhou wrote, “We watch him struggle to saw into pieces two slices of dry bread, as hard as gun steel, cut a few thin yellow strips from a block of hard butter that hasn’t quite thawed, and then place two slices of pre-smoked salmon on top.

Excerpts from his wife’s Douyin account show Keith struggling to spread butter on two slices of brown bread as he makes a sandwich

He is then seen placing smoked salmon and avocado on the dish, ingredients that are difficult to find in many parts of China.

‘This image is enough for ordinary people to think back to the lunch they just quickly devoured. They feel empathy and sadness.

“He’s like all those people who have to pay their credit card bill but haven’t received their paycheck yet, or who have to go to a meeting but find their cell phone battery is down to 10 percent. He bravely faces all the adversities in life.”

Keith had two adult children from his first marriage and a teenage son with Zhang.

After her husband’s death, Zhang said The Times that she would remain in the UK for the time being, while her son was still at school, before deciding whether to return to China.

“I was very surprised at how popular Keith became in China,” she said.

“It’s not that I didn’t expect people to dislike him, but I wasn’t prepared for how it would turn out.”