European flavor

I am attending a conference devoted to the future of the European OLED industry (don’t worry about the details of what that means). I am learning something very interesting: Europe does not yet realize that it is no longer a manufacturing center. Oh sure, people here know perfectly well that much of it has shifted to Asia, but they only know it in their heads. At some deeper level, they figure Europe ought to get it back, could get it back, and indeed will get it back if they have meetings like this to collectively affirm this view.

So there is a vigorous debate about how “we” (meaning European countries) can build new infrastructure that “they” (meaning Asian companies) cannot imitate. The debate missing is whether manufacturing is actually desirable for Europe, much less possible. I am not asserting a particular opinion, just noticing what comes into the argument as a tacit assumption (manufacturing = good) rather than a point to be considered openly.

Finally, it hit me. These concerns over the transformation of society away from manufacturing are also going on right now in Japan, which is rapidly losing (in fact, has already lost, for the most part) manufacturing strength to Korea, Taiwan, and China. For Japan, it is actually an appropriate concern because it is a current issue. For Europe, it is not a current issue. It has already happened, like it has already happened in much of America. Perhaps from this, we can infer that Japan will be continuing these thought patterns for many years/decades to come.

Change is painful. The West (and increasingly, Japan also) is dealing with very fundamental economic shifts from manufacturing to service to who-knows-what. Some desirable aspects of society are dying, replaced by less desirable ones. And it’s happening on a rapid timescale, which can be jarring, and inevitably ends up hurting some people. The pain shows up in odd forms, from national pride to cynicism to self-criticism.

This conference, though technical, is far from rational. It is propelled from below, from poorly-defined emotional depths, which gives it a collage-like quality: tragic beauty, amusing pathos, and perhaps a streak of danger (for whom? That’s an exercise for the reader). I feel unable to integrate all these issues that are happening on so many levels, but am kept busy watching them and noticing the currents they evoke in my own mind. (I, too, am from a country tied up in powerful economic and cultural shifts of a similar nature).

Other European flavors abounded. Like this new fruit I had never tried—a maracuya. It’s about lime-sized with a dark, rough exterior. But the inside is filled with orange goop sort of like a pumpkin, mixed with green seeds that resemble large grape seeds but are edible. I suppose that description doesn’t make it sound very appealing, but really, the goopy part had a lush, sweet-and-sour flavor. I also noticed intriguing flavors of yogurt for breakfast—peach-maracuya, and raspberry-cranberry.

This conference center has an open bar every night, and one option is locally brewed ale. I tried a pale, unfiltered ale called Hobson’s Choice, and it was quite tasty. I was pleased to have gotten some good beer in England; it’s something they can really do right.