Shortcut talks to graham holliday, journalist and (food) blogger

You recently attended the WE MEDIA conference in London - what was your impression of the event? What did you think of the interaction between traditional media representatives and bloggers?

What interaction between old media and bloggers? Was there any? Not much that I can remember. The most useful conversations took place outside the auditorium and, at least for me, that was mainly between bloggers and new media folk. Having said that, I did get to have a chat with Monique Villa, one of the Heads of Reuters and a bunch of other old media folk. I tried not to look at name badges too much.

However, the whole set up was very much 'top down' which is not at all reflective of what's going on in media these days. Although, I must say I had a fantastic time. I finally got to meet some people, like Rebecca McKinnon from Global Voices for example, whom I've been corresponding with for years. So, on a personal level it was very useful just for that face to face element. I just think the conference itself should have been less of a lecture. I think they should take a leaf out of Global Voices way of doing things for the next one. More on that here

You ran your own blog "noodlepie" out of Vietnam. What brought you to Vietnam and why did you stay as long as you did?

I was living in Korea in 1996/97. I went to Vietnam on a 3 week holiday, I'd long had an interest in the country. I quite liked the place during my holiday and so I decided to see if I could go there to live and work for a bit. Initially I was thinking of going for around six months to a year or so. I was then planning to move to Argentina. I ended up staying in Vietnam for 9 years. I stayed predominantly because I met my wife in Hanoi in 1998. Her job kept her in Vietnam for a while.

We lived in the capital Hanoi, in the north, for four years before moving to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), in the south, for a further four years. We finally decided to up sticks in August 2006 and leave as contracts came up for renewal. I've been fortunate to have spent so long there. I feel I have gained a real insight into the country and the people, both the good and bad. I don't think I wasted my time there. It's been educational in many ways. And of course, I learned MASSES about the food. That's why I started blogging in the first place; to document the food scene.

Recently you relocated to France - are you going to continue to blog from France or will you be focusing on other career avenues?

I'll definitely still blog from France. I have a couple of offbeat ideas for blogs which I intend to start soon. There's nothing quite like the streetfood scene I blogged from Saigon, but I also plan to blog the cafe scene in Toulouse. I'll do that at noodlepie. It'll probably end up being a quirky cafe guide to the city. However, I do think it's a mistake to just rush into a blog when you move somewhere new. I've been visiting Toulouse for years, my wife is from the city, but I still feel I need a bit of time to 'tune in' before I decide what to blog about in earnest. The other issue is time. I had more time in Vietnam. I continue to work as a freelance journalist. However, I intend to start earning more money from copywriting and work with advertising agencies in the UK and elsewhere. Journalism does not pay the rent, the food or the coffee come to that :)

And how has blogging impacted your life? Has it brought you opportunities you didn't expect?

I've made a number of friends through it and I've also made many useful work contacts. I was invited to We Media because of it. I just got back from a book launch in London i was also invited to because of the blog. I've found the blog to be far more useful professionally than my old static website (www.grahamholliday.co.uk). I've worked for a lot of newspapers and magazines purely because of my blog. Too many to list, but publications like The Guardian, New York Times, TIME Magazine and Food & Wine. I get at least one media enquiry per month. I've been approached by two film companies to present shows and BBC TV have been in touch on two occasions. I've been interviewed by various podcasters and radio stations. Singapore Radio want to interview me this week. Plus, many journalists have contacted me over the years just to meet or whatever. So, you know, quite fruitful for making contacts and the like. Plus, I earn money through advertising.

What does it feel like to be back in Europe?

It feels bloody great to be honest. I was gagging for a change. I don't miss Vietnam, not yet. I thought I would and I know I will in time, but for the moment I'm just enjoying being another anonymous European, not the very visually non-anonymous white bloke in Vietnam.

Do you feel it has changed since you last lived in the so-called "old world:, and if yes, in what ways?

It's more expensive :) I left Europe around ten years ago, so it's a very long time. I'm not sure if I can remember exactly how things were ten years ago. I remember being very, very keen to leave and to see new things, places and people. I guess I'm more settled than I was back then, not so restless. I still enjoy travel immensely, but living and working within a different culture and country is VERY different from passing through it. As a result I shed my rose tinted travelling spectacles a very long time ago. Getting back to your question, since I left we have the Euro, we're free to travel across borders, things are better in many ways. My one worry is the work culture. I'm freelance, so it probably won't effect me in the same way. But, in the UK it was my experience that most folk live for the weekend. I never found that much fun or healthy.

If there is one thing that enervates you about Europeans, what would you say this was?

In France and in Toulouse especially, it's the European/French way of life. It's pretty laid back, I like that and I hope I can adapt to it. However, sometimes I think it is a bit too laid back, but that's just me. I prefer to do things a bit quicker than your average Toulousain. One thing that I've very much noticed is the general culture and intellectual stimulus that surrounds you. In Vietnam, life is very much in your face on every street corner. That's incredibly invogorating, but it becomes quite tiring too. In Europe, you have more space, less noise and there's more access to theatres, museums, galleries, parks, 'thinking spaces'. I spent the afternoon at the Tate Modern in London last week and it was fantastic (and free). Just to be able to go and see art like that. I loved it. I think many Europeans take a lot of that kind of 'on your doorstep' entertainment/intellectual stimulation for granted, but, you know, go live in Vietnam for a while... There's nothing like a cultural drought for you to start missing what Europe has to offer.

The current crisis in the middle east has provoked a lot of commentary, but little has been heard from Asia - in particular China. How do the Vietnamese perceive this conflict and the US and European roles in it?

Yes, for such a great power China is strangely silent on many issues, not just the war. As for the Vietnamese, to be honest I have no idea how the conflict is perceived. It has never been a topic of conversation. The war is reported in the news, but Vietnamese people are very much focussed on what is going on in there immediate vicinity. There's not that same kind of 'world vision' Europeans are brought up with. I'm sure if you asked some Vietnamese about the war they'd proffer an opinion, but it's not a topic of discussion down at the coffee shop or in the bar. They're far more likely to be discussing the motorbikes, business dealings or - most likely - football.

On a related note, one thing your do start to learn when living in a country like Vietnam is that, as a native English speaker/reader, you have far, far greater access to knowledge, information and opinion on the net. I have no idea what proportion of the world's knowledge and information is available in Vietnamese online, but I imagine it's miniscule.

Graham Holliday is a freelance journalist based in Toulouse, France.
Contact him through the comment box at www.noodlepie.com or email him
on graham@noodlepie.com

shortcut talks to fernando couto, graphic designer and berliner

A Portuguese graphic designer living in Berlin - how did that particular combination happen?

Well, it is the result of chance, actually.

In 2002 my wife received a ten-month scholarship to study here at the University of the Arts. She came and I stayed back in Portugal, working as a freelancer and dropping by once in a while to be with her. Of course the city is really appealing and we discussed the possibility of moving to Berlin on a permanent basis, but since we enjoyed so much the life we had in Porto and she was planning to stay here for just two semesters, we decided to keep with this arrangement. Also at the time I was learning Japanese, so Germany was not at all part of my plans; at least not to live. I wanted to move to Japan for a couple of years and experience the culture. But that didn't happen.

During one of my visits here, I sent my portfolio to some design agencies, just to get feedback from them; a sense of how my work related in a different culture. I received some encouraging reactions and a job offer from a design agency with several graphic designers from around the world. The projects were interesting and the working environment seemed very exciting. It was a great opportunity, so we put some thought into it, decided I should accept the offer, left our beautiful apartment in Portugal and have been living here since.

Berlin is supposedly in a deep financial and perhaps identity crisis - your take on that?
How do you see the city developing?

The city has indeed financial problems, but I don't feel there is an identity crisis, to be honest.

Berlin is ? and this won't change in the near future ? a symbol of division and reunification, of the memories of the past and the challenges of the future. It is a city trying to restore a sense of continuity to a fragmented structure; on every corner you feel and see what the city lost and, for the most part, it is growing with these losses in mind. It was the main stage for many of the most important historical events of the 20th century and is now promoting itself as a privileged location for the challenges facing the enlarged European Union of the 21st century. This is the identity of Berlin now and I don't see it developing differently in the near future.

Plus the quality of life here is really good and inexpensive compared with other European cities, which makes it very appealing. And although it could mean that some are not working ? since unemployment here is a bit high ? everyone is relaxed, enjoys being outside and nature is such an integral part of the city that just sitting in the balcony at home, facing the park, I don't think I've ever heard so many birds at once... Here it is quite normal for a design office, for example, to have some chairs and tables to sit outside for a short pause, having some friends stopping by to talk or play table tennis and then go back to work. Enjoying life and working is very much apart of the lifestyle in Berlin and this is something I think the city will continue to invest in.

Hopefully they will also manage to solve the financial problems, because apart from other broader social and economical consequences, you can see the effects of this situation on certain events organized in Berlin. Sometimes the locations where they take place do not offer the best and most appropriate conditions, and the trashy-retro-glamour aesthetic that is so popular here should not be an excuse much longer for disguising this problem, otherwise some events might start to loose strength and momentum, which would be a shame.

Where are you working now and are your German colleagues as efficient as everyone thinks?

Ah, the ever present German efficiency! I have to say they are not that different from what I have experienced in other places. But then again, Berlin does not in anyway stand for Germany. People here are very much relaxed and easy going. Normal professionals like anywhere else; occasional mistakes happen, deadlines are sometimes not too strict. But justice should be made: there is an organization structure that allows for this relaxed professional behavior. The experience I have here has, for the most part, involved projects with a development time-schedule planned well in advance. Ideas have time to be discussed and explored before the projects need to be finished, which is wonderful.

There is also the opinion that Germans are uptight, unable to be spontaneous, to improvise. I've encountered some of them but I would say the percentage is not as high as one would be led to believe. My working colleagues certainly haven't proved this preconceived idea to be true! Stereotypes are always too general to fit real people in.

I'm still working for the same people who offered me a job back in 2003. The initial company, which was called Leonardi.Wollein, ended in 2005 when the two partners decided to part and since then I've been working as a freelancer for one of them at Wollein&Co.

There's been a lot of talk about the World Cup and specifically about possible violence (against foreigners) - do you feel the threat was exaggerated by politicians?

Well the risk of violence does exist, but yes, I think it was exaggerated for political reasons. These kind of events always carry tense situations but I'm fairly optimistic about the efficiency of the security structure around the World Cup. So far everything is going okay, and let's hope it continues this way.

Of course race clashes do exist, but I haven't felt any during my time here. I would say the areas around Berlin may see this happening, due to more critical financial and social problems but the city is very safe and worry free.

What are your career plans and where are you headed next?

I'll be moving to London after the Summer to do an MA at Central Saint Martins School of Art and Design. The course is fairly recent and the subject is Creative Practice for Narrative Environments. It focus on how narrative is such an integral part of the spaces and the social structures we live in; and encourages interdisciplinary practice, joining professionals coming from different fields such as writing, architecture, design, etc.

I'm really excited because for a long time I've had research interests outside graphic design, but they have been kept apart from my professional work, so this will be a wonderful opportunity to change this. I'm hoping to slowly move away from traditional graphic design and start working on projects closer to curatorship, exhibition and environmental design; something that attempts to reflect and have a critical perspective on our complex cultural structures.

Any areas in Berlin that are interesting to see for visitors and residents?

This city is so full of hidden surprises! The layers of history are everywhere, some are truly wonderful and the best way to find them is just by walking or biking around, exploring the city.

Personally, I'm a great fan of architecture from the early 1900s of which Berlin has many examples.
There is, for example, a charming social housing complex following the Bauhaus functionalism and aesthetic at Erich-Weinert-Strasse. It was recently restored, the colours, scale are very nice and once in a while I can't resist walking by to see it. And further down on the same street, there is an interesting small group of beautiful Jugendstil industrial buildings from 1907.

Another great industrial site to visit is the historical AEG complex with the Turbinenhalle by Peter Behrens at Huttenstrasse. The size of it today is still impressive but before the war it must have been quite overwhelming.
Also very interesting is the area of Karl-Marx-Allee, with its neoclassical Russian style ? also know as "Zückerbäckerstil", or "confectioner's style" ?, the beautiful Kino International and all the Plattenbau buildings, constructed of large prefabricated structures. From the same period, but in the West and with a totally different scale and urban approach, the Hansaviertel in Tiergarten district is also worth seeing, with buildings from Walter Gropius, Oscar Niemeyer, Alvar Aalto and Jacobsen and the Unité d'Habitation in Charlottenburg, near the Olympiastadion.
Well, the list could go on and on...

Oranienburger Strasse and the area around Hackesche Höfe (1906) in Rosenthaler Strasse, is also very nice. As well as the Gendarmenmarkt square.

And one of the best places to relax on a summer day, watching the river and the boats go-by is the area around the Märkisches Museum in Am Köllnischen Park. The group of buildings that make the museum are very nice and the small park and buildings around it bring a pleasant atmosphere to the neighborhood.
But my best advise is still to wander around and enjoy the city. One is always surprised by what Berlin has to discover.

Coming back to your roots, you're not entirely Portuguese either, your mother is from East Timor. How has this affected your life in Europe, both growing up and as an adult?

Yes, my mother is from East-Timor and is half Chinese and my father was Portuguese. I was also born in East-Timor but with the Indonesian invasion we fled to Portugal when I was one and half years old.

But even if my education is Portuguese because of this, my oriental roots play an important part of my character. It think it mostly has to do with the fact that according to my parents, I am very much like my Chinese grandfather, when it comes to character and sensibility. Which is quite extraordinary since we parted when I was very young, so it is another evidence of how family genes are an amazing thing.

While growing up I felt my sensibility never really fitted with what I was seeing around me, some values of Portuguese and western societies. When I slowly became aware of my roots, certain things started to make sense and I understood there were family and ethnic reasons for this. And you have to understand that this wasn't an obvious process at all. At home we only heard Portuguese, my mother had to loose her Chinese name for a new Portuguese one and we never had any contact with my family back in East-Timor because of censorship. Only now are we able to re-establish family links and it is very funny to discover common things with people I had never been or talked with until now.

In the end I feel neither entirely Portuguese, nor East-Timorese nor Chinese but hopefully I'll choose the best of what each culture has to offer to me.

***********************

samples of fernando's work: 

shortcut talks to ann poochareon, all around new media girl

How did a Thai girl get involved with European giant Benetton?

It's a bit of story, but in a nutshell:  after I finished graduate school (Interactive Telecommunications Program, New York University), I was lucky enough to be selected as part of a team from NYU to do an art installation project in Nice, France at MAMAC (Musée d'Art Moderne et d'Art Contemporain).  At the end of the 5-week residency, my partner (Mark Argo) arranged for a short visit to Fabrica, which is located near Venice, in Italy.  So the team, which is myself, Mark Argo (www.markargo.com), and another artist Daniel Hirschmann (www.plankman.com), showed up at Fabricaand did a little show-and-tell of our work.  A few short months later, we were all back at Fabrica as research fellows for the Interactive department.  Fabrica is a creative research center sponsored by Benetton, so that's how I am connected with Benetton.  And no, we don't design the clothes.  :)  

You've just had a busy month, tell us about your work/projects.

I guess all-around-new-media-art-stuff is a good description for what I do, yet that is still a bit too vague for most.  Earlier this month, one of my old video projects ("Hello Kitty Is Dead" 2003) was screened as part of a film festival in Rome.  At the same time, we shipped our (Mark and I) installation, CommPose, which is a frame that displays cameraphone images and viewers can upload their own on the spot, to be exhibited in Bangkok and Mark also had a show in Toronto.  Last week, we helped put on a fashion show of wearable computing garments in Pisa as part of a technology conference, for this we ran the visual projection and music.  At Fabrica, I am running the blog.Fabrica website (http://www.fabrica.it/blog), which is one of the communication channel that, I hope, connects us to the rest of the world.  Occasionally I write about contemporary and new media art practices and theories in regards to our research in the interactive department, and from time to time I do website work (both design and back-end).  I used to do theater performance with my friends in the U.S., and I try to write extensively on my personal blog, but it's been a bit sparse as of late.

How long and where have you been living in Europe? What do you think of the quality of graphic and web design of young European designers? Is the envelope being pushed or is that happening elsewhere?

Besides my 5-week resident at the Villa Arson in Nice in 2004, I've been here for only a year and a few months living in Treviso, which is a beautiful small town in Northern Italy.

As for young European designers, I don't really know the scene, so I'm not in a position to say much about them.  As far as pushing the envelope on graphic and web design, I almost feel like we've seen much more refreshing/new work a few years back than we do now.  Maybe we're still in the period of figuring out the technologies, and finding the right medium/message for our generation?  I don't really know.  To me, good design is effective design, and that simply means getting the message across.  Nowadays, I feel like the minimalist approach is best in our overwhelmingly connected world, but then how much can you push the envelope of being minimal?

What made you want to ditch corporate slavery for artistic uncertainty? Any advice on how to go about it?

I think if you really have an itch to pursue a creative life, then you'll just have to do it.  There's really not much advice one can give because it is quite personal, though I'd recommend reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.  It was recommended to me and I feel like I should pass on the blessing.

Italy is going through turbulent times, economically, socially and politically - what's your take on the country's problems? Does it affect your work? Does the current climate limit the range of professional and artistic opportunities?

Because I'm protected first by this corporate bubble that is Benetton, and second by being a non-Italian speaker in Italy, none of what you mentioned actually affect my work or personal life and therefore, I'm afraid, I don't really have any educated take on the country's problems as I'm still trying to learn the system and understand the attitude and cultural background.  However, it was really interesting for me to be here during the last national election where the party mostly responsible for their economic disaster for the last five years was voted out, however marginal.  I'd have to say that the more I observe politics from different countries, the more similar they seem, which is kind of a depressing outlook. 

Asia is the happening place at the moment with China's meteoric rise to economic superstardom. Any plans to relocate East?

I'll be heading to Thailand at the end of my Fabrica contract (since they give me a flight to leave Italy :-D), and I will probably figure out what to do there.  To a certain degree, I believe that the China's perceived rise in economy is blown out of proportion.  We in the West are focusing so much on how "China is the next power", which could be true, but we aren't paying any attention to the other side of the story or the effects that China has over less powerful Asian countries.  I'd like to be in Asia to observe it all in perspective.

Can you recommend a place (restaurant, park, museum, house, anything) in Europe that is absolutely worth seeing or experiencing?

A swim in the Mediterranean, a drive through Toscana, a train ride through Austria, the Alps, Rome, museums in Amsterdam, the Leopold Museum in Vienna, biking in the country side in the spring time, fresh markets in Italy, food in Italy, oh my, I could go on and on.  If I have to pick one, I'd say come to Italy and eat some gelato -- you'll never regret it for the rest of your life.

shortcut talks to tina smrekar, visual artist and fulltime snorkeler in the fabulous worlds of art, film and music.

You're doing a worldwide project on visual artists' living conditions - how did you get started on this topic?

It was the situation I found myself in after finishing my studies as an artist and wanting to continue working in this field. The fact that artists have to struggle to be able to survive AND produce art is known, a cliché even, but I had the feeling that although practically all of us face this dilemma at least at the beginning of our careers, there is not much discourse whether in the art community and even less in the general public.
Much of our identity nowadays is channeled through work and my question here is how are we supposed to be liable and have credit as artists and how are we to produce art if a lot of our time and energy goes to working odd jobs, often working several jobs at a time.

It also seemed to me we always only know the local situation in a city or a country (which we then take for self-evident) so I then decided to start a survey and interview project with artists living in different parts of the world.

What are some of the most surprising findings so far?

The mosts surprising aspect to me so far is the difference how artists in Europe naturally demand social security for their status whereas in some other parts, especially in the US this is a question without relevance; social security is so expensive that very few can afford it.
It seems that artists in Europe see the possibility of having a voice in the social order, in Austria artists and artist organizations have started a substantial action this spring, when it turned out that the Austrian government wanted money back (the part they paid for the social security of artists) if the artists did not earn enough money, which of course is absurd.

But also in Europe the awareness could be higher. In this system being an artist is a very individualized profession since the persona of the artist has become more and more important if s/he wants to be successful. However there are some very interesting phenomena for example in Brasil, where in the last years there are more and more groups of artists emerging, among other topics also engaging in urbanity (esqueleto, eia, integracaosemposse).


What is your goal for this project, what do you want to achieve?

Firstly my goal is to encourage the awareness for this topic. Countries use culture to present themselves abroad but how much they support individual artists is a completely different story. Historically this can be argumented with tourism – whole cities live of a work of an artist, most prominent examples being Mozart in Austria or Bach in Leipzig. If a city or a country invests in artists today, they will have something to represent themselves with and attract tourists.

Another aim of this project is to identify the particularity of each context from where specific projects are developed for each city. In Ljubljana for example there are practically no commercial galleries which would deal also in installation or conceptual art, but also for the artists themselves it is still pretty much a taboo to sell the works, in the sense of selling yourself out. All this is in part is a consequence of the socialist system but I think it is important to recognize this as an option of earning your living and distributing your works as an artist. So a project we are trying to prepare now in
Ljubljana is an intensive workshop for want-to-be galerists, to maybe bring some young art enthusiasts to the idea of founding an art gallery.


You are from Ljubljana, Slovenia. It's still a relatively little known place in Western Europe. What is the city like - how was it affected by the war in the former Yugoslavia?

Slovenia and its capital Ljubljana, which has about 350.000 inhabitants, have been little affected directly from the war. We only had a 10-day war in 1991, the consequences are more indirect, a lot of refugees came from Bosnia, there are still people whose status is not solved which is a disgrace. And although the cultural and economical ties have been cut of for a while, there have been efforts to connect these areas. A superb example of this is Cross Radio (crossradio.org), which is linking radio stations in different cities across ex-Yugoslavian territories. Each station makes a short program of cultural events and music in the city and this collection is then broadcasted on all radio stations.

Any interesting upcoming festivals in Europe that you can recommend to readers?

There are so many I almost don't know where to start, but there are three I really cherish because they all combine the love for what they are presenting with good atmosphere and the possibility of communicating with the authors.

In the end of May the third Isola Cinema Festival is taking place, a festival of African, Asian, Latin American and Eastern European cinematography. It is hosted in a picturesque ancient town center of Izola on the Slovenian coast. The small city center and a part of the beach emerges as a true cinema island with a wonderful intimate atmosphere of
friends of cinema where invited directors are present during the whole festival.

If you want to experience the craziness of the white nights in Lapland and are a film fan, then your place to go would be the Midnight Sun Film Festival in mid June. The festival was founded in 1986 by Kaurismäki brothers and takes place in the small village of Sodankylä, some 120 km above the arctic circle in the north of Finland where the sun does not set in summer and there is not much else to do but watch good movies or take a sauna or drink on the rivershore…

My personal favourite is the City Of Women Festival, which takes place every October in Ljubljana. It is unique in the sense that it really in its heart works trans-disciplinary with a rather experimental profile and connects artists and intellectuals in the annual theme it introduces every year. It takes place on different locations in the city and it is very
enriching to experience the mixing of different audiences, from those in an official national cultural center to those of an underground club, in one festival.

An interesting one is also the international animation film festival Animateka, which takes place in Kinodvor, Ljubljana's only art cinema, in December. They concentrate on East and Central Europe animations in competition program, and this makes Animateka exceptional among other festivals of this kind in Europe.

shortcut talks to madhav kakani, chemical engineer and world citizen

Let's start with the serious stuff  -  we know what Danes think about the cartoon crisis, we know what
Americans think by and large, and we certainly know what the Arab world thinks of it. You're an Indian living in Copenhagen, what is your take on it?

India is very multicultural, essentially we all get along, unless there's political incitement that fuels discord and violence. I, along with other Indian and Pakistani friends, think it was stupid to publish it, it reflects ignorance. "Freedom of speech" as a justification is not enough. And in any case, if you do publish potentially incendiary material, you have to accept the consequences. The response in Denmark was very defensive, there is still only a rudimentary understanding of how a globalized world works - Denmark is not used to being in the spotlight and certainly is not used to widespread criticism of its values. But today what happens in a small country can set off a powerful chain reaction.

I read in a newspaper poll that more than 50% of Danes think the cartoons should not have been published. In the end it is a matter of judgement and in this case, a lack of judgement on the part of the editors. That said, the punishment - the firebombing and death threats - certainly didn't fit the crime!

I'm fairly sure that most of the violence was orchestrated by the respective Arab governments. Many in the Arab world are dissatisfied with their corrupt, ineffective regimes and the governments just gave that street anger an occasion to vent. There's a good thing to all this though, which is that all sides are now more aware and will think twice next time.

Are there things about living in Europe that you find funny or surprising or unexpected or difficult to adjust to, even after quite some time here?

Not really, it's been a pleasant experience overall. People are laidback - probably even too nice, at least here in Denmark. Sometimes I get the feeling people are hiding something, are not saying what they mean. It's hard to get in touch with people and making plans and friends, not many people here are socially proactive. Also they often don't follow up or give you the run around.

India and China are two emerging power houses that are likely to soon give Europe a run for its money. Increasingly young professionals head East to forge careers. How do you see this economic supremacy struggle play out? How do Indians perceive Europe to your knowledge? And do you intend to return to India at one point?

India is growing at 8% per year. There is a lot of job creation. Compared to 10 years ago, it's true that less young people are going abroad to study or work. But if they go, they are still primarily going to the USA and to Europe second.

I think the current outsourcing to emerging economies and consequent loss of jobs in Europe and the US is simply due to the still large economic gap between emerging and first world economies. That gap will close though and once there is a large new middle class in India, they will want to buy first rate products - which are still primarily produced the West. The new middle class and their consumer power could actually lead to increased demand for Europe's products and job growth.  There's also a paradigm shift as firms go global and sell their products across borders - the playing ground is going to level eventually.

There is though a lack of competitiveness in Europe compared to India. I call it the economic "hangover". Europe has been successful and comfortable for very long and people have gotten phlegmatic. They are not hungry for a better standard of living like Indians and Chinese. But once a crisis sets in, I am sure the survival instinct will revive!

What motivated you to come to Europe? Did you find it difficult to get a job?

It's a roundabout story. I went to the US to study for an MA in chemical engineering. After getting my degree I ended up working there - the US is still very much perceived as the land of opportunity, it's cool to work in the States - you are considered a success back home. I worked there for 10 years, then I started to get tired of the rat race. I decided to go back to school and since I had never been to Europe, I thought attending a Business school in Europe would also be a great cultural experience. I was actually planning to go back to the US, but then I really liked it in Copenhagen. You work 5 days a week, you have your weekends free, the city is quiet and convenient. People are nicer than in the US, less superficial I think. They're not trying to make a living, to survive, to advance their interests.  It's also easy to get around - infrastructure-wise - and maintain friendships.

What's your take on the Copenhagen Indian cuisine scene? Better avoided? Or have you found places that offer local authenticity?

So far I've been only to places in my neihbourhood, Norrebro. On Sankt Hans Torv there is an Indian restaurant called Natraj, they serve North Indian cuisine. Then on Axel Torv there is the India Palace. They have a buffet and you can sample different dishes. It's very good quality. 

Anything about Europeans or Danes you wish you could tweak or change because it always gets on your nerves?

The thing I mind most is that people say they will do something but then they don't. I don't like it when people don't follow up, whether in business or in private life. People often react with enthusiasm and promise to do this and that and ask you to call them - but when you do, they find excuses or they avoid calling you back. I think it's unproductive and not very respectful of the other person.

Any favorite spots you've been to that you would recommend to Europe travelers?

Rome. It has so much to offer in terms of history, culture, cuisine. I was only there for a few days and I definitely want to go again and take more time to visit.