When I first arrived in China I sought out everything which was familiar, I clung onto it like a child to their favourite blanket. For a few weeks I lived on MacDonalds and snicker bars. Then I discovered I could order egg fried rice (only 4 words) and then I started ordering more things like dumplings and aubergine (I lived on aubergine for a very long time after that and it’s still a favourite today). As my Chinese got better my diet improved and I was having vegetables and a variety of meats.
Nowadays I don’t need to seek out the familiar Western foods although I enjoy them and from time to time I will deliberately walk down the chocolate aisle of the supermarket. The expensive Belgian and Swiss stuff only catches my eye a few times a year when I am feeling flush but there is a German brand which has become a firm favourite since I came to China and that’s good old Ritter Sport. 
I don’t think I had ever heard of Ritter Sport before I got here but now it’s my chocolate of choice. In the absence of Dairy Milk or KitKat (both of which I saw in supermarkets in the Philippines) Ritter Sport is a good alternative. And you see it everywhere and I wonder how has Ritter Sport got such a foothold in China? Is it only popular with foreigners or do the Chinese buy it too? Why do some brands make it in China and others not. Why do we have snickers here (I am so fed up with snickers that I never buy it now) but not Dairy Milk or KitKat?
Maybe Ritter Sport’s success is in its variety – Butter biscuit is the best. I never thought that German chocolate would play such a large role in my life – it’s not notable for it’s chocolate unlike other European countries such as Belgium, but it’s a life saver. I love chocolate a lot but I would never consider eating the Chinese ‘Dove’. I tried it once and wish I hadn’t – truly dreadful. So thanks Ritter Sport – however you managed to penetrate the Chinese market – I am very grateful to you.