Chinese netizens lamented the death of British influencer ‘Dry Uncle’
British influencer Keith, known as ‘Dry Uncle’, has passed away from bone cancer. He became popular on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, by showcasing the typical British food he would eat each day.
Keith’s wife, known as ‘Northeastern Chinese Aunt’, announced that he had passed away of bone cancer on Wednesday. Previously, the Aunt said that he was unable to sleep well, and his eyes turned yellow. However, she refused to say the phrase ‘bone cancer’.
This Chinese-British couple has attracted so many fans quickly because Keith, the lovely uncle, always chose dry baked bread for lunch, paired with smoked salmon, arugula, and other ingredients. Therefore, he got the nickname ‘Dry Uncle’ (干巴大叔) from Chinese netizens.
These typical British sandwiches were very differnt to food eaten in China for lunch. Due to the significant differences between Chinese and British cuisine, Chinese netizens believe what ‘Dry Uncle’ ate was healthy but difficult to swallow. They found his food tastes ‘admirable’.
‘Eating dry bread, spreading dry butter, being a dry old man, savoring a dry life.’ This is a summary from Chinese netizens for the Uncle.
Not everyone in China favoured his food. Cut two slices of dry whole wheat bread, spread two spoonfuls of dry butter, and then put a layer of vegetable leaves and tomato slices on top was one meal. ‘This is not lunch, this is rubbish.’ one Chinese netizen commented.
However, every meal from ‘Dry Uncle’ was a hit online. One video introducing his meal has received more than 770,000 likes in Douyin.
Last month, the account of ‘Sino British Family (Uncle Keith and Northeastern Chinese Aunt)’ gained 500,000 fans and more than 600 million people have watched their videos on Douyin.
His online succeses even spread into the real world. Freshippo, a well-known Chinese supermarket chain in China, took advantage of their popularity and launched a ‘dry lunch’ meal deal. One kind of ciabatta bread sold 11,000 pieces in just one month. Some bread sellers also labeled their European bread products as ‘dry lunch’ on the product descriptions.
The death of ‘Dry Uncle’ deeply saddened Chinese netizens.
The comment section under their Douyin account is filled with sadness and nostalgia. Everyone recalled the lovely images of ‘Dry Uncle’ and the joy he brought to viewers. One commented ‘Our cyber relative has passed away’. It seemed, they had lost an important friend. Some people lamented the impermanence of life, while others felt regret and pity for his unfinished dreams.
‘Dry Uncle’ still had many dreams that had not come true. For example, he had not repaired his sailboat yet, and he was still preparing to sail.
Chinese netizens have written that although ‘Dry Uncle’ passed away, the ‘dry lunch’ and optimistic attitude towards life he left behind will forever remain in the hearts.
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