Citizen Graham
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
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