I suspect the Singapore franchise is entirely different; the quality of their cookies is far higher than what you'd find in the states. They're real cookies that look like a real human baked them, served in a paper bag.
There's no shortage of high quality baked goods available in the States, I assure you! :-) Tate's is a good brand that you can buy in stores w/ no weird ingredients.
The Famous Amos retail stores that used to be here also had that "fresh baked in store" quality, because they were. The company eventually expanded into packaged cookies that were, naturally, made in a factory.
