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4 WEEKS TO TIME TO THINK
NEWSLETTER - INTERVIEW
WITH HENRIK BOSERUP, CELEBRITY CHEF, DK
Issue no. 7, 4-8 Sep
2006
The seventh in a
series of nine interviews with speakers at the kjaer global / CIFS International
Trends Conference 3rd October 2006 at Base Camp, Copenhagen.
This week we interview
Henik Boserup on the theme
 Meaningful Consumption
and
Time
to Think
PROFILE – HENRIK
BOSERUP, Celebrity Chef
The Danish chef Henrik
Boserup is famous for two
bestselling cookbooks “White
Food” and “Black Food”,
which inspired a whole
nation to be more aware of the
importance of the food
they eat. A man on a mission to
promote the virtues of
good cuisine, he has expanded
his remit to include
catering, corporate presentations
and team building
activities.
www.boserup.dk
“Meaningful consumption
means we won't buy
from companies who don't
match our standards.”
Henrik Boserup
Questions on: Meaningful Consumption
Q: How would you define
Meaningful Consumption?
Boserup: I would define it as
modern democracy.
Q: Why is Meaningful
Consumption so much in focus at the moment?
Boserup: Most people want to do
something good in life, taking responsibility for the common
good, for the
environment and for their children. Other people might simply be in it for an
alternative form of
self-promotion.
Q: In what ways do you
think consumption is driven by consumer experience?
Boserup: I don't think
consumption is driven by consumer experience. All our natural common
sense has been drowned
out by advertising.
Q: Why do you think we
have moved from product-focused consumption towards cultural
consumption - and what
are the key social drivers behind this shift?
Boserup: Individualism and wealth
have given us more possibilities to do things. The family and
religion have taken a
back seat - they are too old fashioned right now. So people are independent
and make the most of
opportunities in our fast-moving society. Of course, this is all a fashion
which may change in 10
or 15 years time.
Q: Who would you single
out as leaders (both people and companies) in Meaningful
Consumption?
Boserup: The eco contingent. I'm
a chef and I always relate everything back to food. In my little
world, the eco group was
the first to stand up to industrialisation and demand decent food. To
have that requires no
compromise - and that to me is the definition of meaningful consumption.
Q: What will the future
impact of Meaningful Consumption be for brands, services and
products?
Boserup: They will have a hard
time. Either they become 100 per cent genuine or they employ a
large department of spin
doctors!
Q: What lifestyle changes
do you think will be the most important in years to come?
Boserup: Crucially the lack of
oil. We will see a shift from our oil-based economy to a new one.
Whatever this is - and I
believe it might be a variety of different energy sources - it will still
affect
our lifestyle and we
will all notice the change. From the point of view of food, we may see a
welcome return to
seasonality - rediscovering the pleasure of looking forward to new-season's
strawberries, for
instance.
Q: What is the biggest
challenge companies face in the future?
Boserup: They have to work out
their key philosophy - their reason for being. To consumers
profit and shareholders
are no longer acceptable arguments for existence. Meaningful
consumption means we
won't buy from companies who don't match our standards. And that's
modern democracy at
work. If we don't buy, they don't produce.
Questions on: Time and Meaning…
Q: How has modern society
changed your notions of time?
Boserup: I remember when the fax
first arrived! Now communication means I can work wherever
and whenever I want. I
have the freedom to make decisions for myself. Of course, it is up to me
to activate that
freedom.
Q: What is your
definition of 'quality time'?
Boserup: To be present. By that I
mean being in the right place at the right time. Being with my
children and talking to
them face to face has ten times more value than talking on the phone.
Similarly, when I create
a really good dish I feel I'm present.
Q: Why do people today
feel they have less time?
Boserup: Because they don't
manage to make decisions - they don't activate the freedom I
mentioned earlier. If
you speed up communications it means you can communicate more, so you
need to make conscious
choices about when and how you work. If you don't get that right then
the speed of
communication means work piles up on your desk and overwhelms you.
I think there is another
force at play, which is the sheer amount of choices presented via opinions,
advertising and hearsay.
You need to form your own opinion and make your own choices. Get on
top of that and you find
there is more time.
Q: How do you feel the
24/7 culture has impacted on brands, products and services?
Boserup: OK it's nice to be able
to go shopping for food in the middle of the night in New York
and this speed society
encourages us to believe we have a right to get everything exactly when
we want it. In fact, I
find the whole concept meaningless. I enjoy the opposite situation - getting up
at 8am to go to the greengrocer's because I know all his
good strawberries will have gone if I wait
any later.
Q: Convergence technology
is supposed to save us time. Is this your perception?
Boserup: Yes, I manage it. But
there was a period when I didn't and work piled up. You have to
learn how to take
control of laptop, phone and fax. Do that and these technologies are a good
thing. For me they
create time to have fun with my kids.
Q: Has technology
improved our quality of life or made achieving work/leisure balance
more stressful?
Boserup: It's simply good or
simply bad - the responsibility for quality of life rests with us. As I
said before it's about
managing the situation and being in control of the technology you use.
Q: Can you give us a
speed conclusion on Time and Meaningful Consumption?
Boserup: Common sense.
Key notes on Henrik
Boserup
* Regular appearances
on radio and TV.
* Began his restaurant
career in Denmark in 1980 and has also
worked in New York.
* Known for his
penchant for Harley Davidsons as well as great food.
www.boserup.dk
Coming next week:
Axel Olesen, Managing
Director at CIFS DK, gives his views on TIME TO THINK.
Download the
conference programme on www.kjaer-global.com
Register on www.time2think.net
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