“Applause to the HUDS staff, because those are awesome cookies,” she says.

Though she has spent a considerable amount of time in China over the years, Comstock says she still occasionally experiences culture clash, often brought on by the nuanced complications of operating a company.

“The biggest thing I hate,” Comstock says, “is this phrase in Chinese, ‘mei ban fa,’ which means ‘no solutions; no way of doing it.’ I’m the sort of person who thinks there is always a solution, and that if there’s a problem, you can always find a way to get it done.”

When it comes to customer service issues, this phrase is “the most annoying thing to hear,” she says.

Cultural differences between the U.S. and China are also often pronounced in day-to-day interactions.

When she travels by bus or subway, Comstock says she often finds herself uncomfortably close to her neighbors.

“You’re like, ‘What is this thing on me?’ And it’s a human,” she says with a laugh. “They’re appalled you won’t be their leaning post.”

Despite the occasional frustrations, Comstock has fully embraced the challenges of living abroad, and her cookies have attracted a devoted following.

From across the globe, Comstock’s friends from home are cheering her on.

Winthrop says that she first perceived Strictly Cookies as a “whimsical idea,” but that, in taking an unconventional approach, Comstock has “gone about building her business in a thoughtful and intelligent way.”

“We’re all living vicariously through her,” says Vik. “She’s starting a business in China, living out everyone’s dream.”

—Staff writer Sabrina A. Mohamed can be reached at smohamed@college.harvard.edu.