Interview with Prof. Peter Anterist, Managing Director of InterGest Worldwide, in Asia Bridge magazine, issue 2/22, p. 46.
Foreword by Prof. Peter Anterist
Southeast Asia was always a destination I longed to visit ever since I was a little boy going to school in the cold Black Forest. The images of floating markets, golden pagodas and seemingly endless sandy beaches immediately captivated me. Today, more than 30 years after my first trip – by bus! - from Bangkok to Chiang-Rai, the region is still one of my very favorites.
Interview in Asia Bridge
Prof. Peter Anterist is aware of the immense economic potential that lies within some Asian countries. Socially, the well-travelled businessman is particularly taken with the fact that Asians don't fit into any pigeonhole and are always good for surprises.
The first time I was in Asia was ...
in 1989, when I was 21 years old: I took my first trip to Thailand with my girlfriend at that time and two friends. We went by bus from Bangkok to Chiang Rai and the Laotian border. During this trip, I learned to love Asia - an unforgettable experience.
Unlike what I would have expected, ...
I found it difficult at first to deal with the original Thai cuisine. Because this food had very little to do with what I had previously eaten in Germany. Everything was brutally spicy and hygiene was truly backward at the end of the 1980s. In the meantime, however, I am well trained as a "farang" and my consumption of "Prik Nam Pla" - a Thai seasoning sauce made from chilies and fish sauce - can hold its own with the Thais.
What has changed most since then ...
the carefree attitude of the Thais, who seemed almost childlike to me. Especially in the metropolises, this is much less observable, I think. In the 1990s, a Thai once said about Thailand that it was "a country without parental supervision". This development has increased significantly in recent years, which is probably mainly due to the political and social situation.
I put my foot in my mouth the most ...
when I took up my guest professorship at CUFE University in Beijing in 2004 and gave my first lecture on the subject of "International Management". Among other things, it was about examples of successful internationalizations of Chinese companies, which, however, were only to be found very sporadically in "mainland China" at that time. For this reason, I directed my focus to Hong Kong and - worse - to Taiwan, also addressing the successful Taiwanese state economic development. Despite of this terrible misstep of mine, I was allowed to keep my visiting professorship and still have it today.
What I particularly appreciate about Asia is ...
how incredibly diverse this continent is. It's not just Bangkok, Shanghai and Singapore that stand for growth, urbanism and international business. Asia is so much more: from Mumbai to Palawan and from Beijing to Bali, the differences couldn't be greater or more beautiful.
When I'm in Asia, my favorite place to be is ...
in a local restaurant without tourists, eating what they eat there, enjoying the heavenly different tastes and flavors.
Travelers to Asia should ...
be open to new things and never think they already know everything or have really “understood” Asia in its entirety.
I would like to get to know ...
the country of Bhutan. I have heard and read a lot about it, but unfortunately I have never been there.
Background: Asia Bridge is a German-language trade magazine for trends, analyses and strategies for Asian business, more information at: www.asia-bridge.de
