After months of searching, I have found syrup in China. In the imported section at Carrefour. Down on the bottom shelf, next to the Hershey's chocolate syrup.
You have no idea how happy this makes me.
Last Christmas when I was in the US, I had a chance to get syrup and bring it back to China with me. But that bottle ran out, and I've been eating pancakes plain or with honey or chocolate chips (which are actually a cut-up Dove bar) for months now. (And, in case you were wondering, the pancake mix also comes from the imported section.)
It is so hard to explain to Chinese people what syrup is. The best you can do is say it's sweet and thick, like honey. But there's nothing like syrup in the land of Chinese food. They would see it as indescribably, mind-blowingly sweet.
Chinese people don't eat real dessert- or, rather, this is the best way to communicate the situation when talking to an American audience. Seriously, the stuff that should be delicious and full of sugary chocolately goodness, like cake, is pretty tasteless in China.
You can find quality ice cream, but other desserts, not so much. Western brands like Dairy Queen, Cold Stone, and Haagan Dazs have tons of stores in China, and it's authentic ice cream, with the correct amount of yummy sweetness. (Expensive, though.) Other types of desserts seriously lag behind though.
And the idea of pouring a ton of thick, sugary liquid on your breakfast- yeah, right.
I remember when I was in France, how much I wanted just plain, ordinary American sliced bread. The French have rolls and croissants and baguettes, but nothing like what we call sandwich bread! Interestingly enough, they've never heard of French toast, either.
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