JULY30/312022 WAR GAMES Elitechessinthe shadowofglobalconflict byoliverroeder July30/312022 FEATURES 16. ▶ Thelivesofothers Anargumentforpeoplewatching. ByAnaKinsella 20. Inblackandwhite Playingforthegloryandthefuture ofchess.ByOliverRoeder 28. Writingahistoricalwrong WhentheNazisstoleaJewish cookbook.ByChristianHouse 40. Eatsshootsandleaves Bambooshootsareoneof thegloriesofsouthernChinese cuisine.ByFuchsiaDunlop N O S N H O J EL N U R B INTELLECT APPETITES WIT&WISDOM 7 TimHarford 12 SimonKuper 33 TimHayward 44 JulietRiddell Whateconomistscan Indefenceofglobalisation FeelingfaintinFlorence RIPthelandline learnfromLegoland 14 GillianTett 34 RavinderBhogalrecipe 45 Games 8 LeoLewis HowRussia’sarmysetsethnic Cayman-styleprawncurry 46 TheQuestionnaire Theadvertisersofmobile minoritiesagainsteachother with‘bussupshut’roti AdrianLester,actor phonegamesarelyingtousall 37 JancisRobinson 10 Gallery Winemakinginthe ArtistMónicadeMirandaon ageofCovid theAfricandiaspora 39 FantasyDinner WriterEmmaForrest Issuenumber982•Onlineft.com/magazine•FTWeekendMagazineisprintedbytheWalsteadGroupintheUKand ONTHECOVER publishedbyTheFinancialTimesLtd,BrackenHouse,1FridayStreet,LondonEC4M9BT©TheFinancialTimesLtd2022 IllustrationbySarattaChuengsatiansup Nopartofthismagazinemaybereproducedinanyformwithoutthepriorexpresspermissionofthepublisher Marginaliaby PPurobdliuschtiniogn::DMaaprhknFeriKsbovy,aacds,vheertaisdinogfapdrovdeurtcistiinogn,–[email protected]–[email protected]@mft.com NadineRedlich @FTMag FT.COM/MAGAZINE JULY30/312022 3 Letters Feedback:Whydowefinditso butyouhavetogetovertheinitial thoughIamhighlyeducatedin hardtotake? shockandunderstandthatyou theUK,theassumptionisthatI byEstherBintliff shouldnevertakeitasapersonal amanursewhenIvisitahospital, Outstandingwork.Asaleaderof attack,whichisnotalwayseasy. acleanerwhenIlivedinHong asizeableteam,Iwashopingfora CHSS,viaFT.com Kongor,atbest,aPAintheoffice. magichackonhowtogivedifficult Thishasresultedinmyinvesting feedbackinaconstructiveway.Yet, Durham’sfestivaloftheworking indictionlessonsandanglicising whatyoudiscoveredmatchesmy class mynameoverthephone,with ownexperience.Youneedtoknow byMilesEllingham somesuccess.Butit’shardto yourpeople,communicatewith Thisisaterrificarticle.Particularly swimagainstthetide. themregularly,listentothem,and thefinalsectionwhichgivesvoice HomegazerviaFT.com figureoutwheretheirgoals,your toaconstituencyIcareabout. goalsandtheorganisation’sgoals NothingisagivenfortheLabour HarveyWeinstein,CharlieRose allintersectsotheycanbeengaged party,regardlessofwhoTory andme whilestillbeingproductiveinthe membersinstallasprimeminister. byGillianTett bigpicture.Tobegoodatgivingand Labourneedstoofferanappealing Aninsightfulandilluminatingpiece receivingconstructivefeedback,I visionofthefuturetotheworking offirst-personjournalism,oneof thinkonsomelevelyouneedtobe classwhichdoesn’toffendpeople ▶ JULY23/24 thebestshortpieceswrittenon curiousandlikepeople.I’venever whodon’tidentifyasworking Thescienceoffeedback thesubject.Whatalwaysseemed hadagreatmanagerorleaderwho class.Preferablyavisiongrounded surprisingtomewashowpervasive didn’tlikepeopleandwhowasn’t inrealitywhichwillstandupto thebadbehaviourwasatthetop interestedinthe“why”.Finally, scrutinyformorethanafewyears ofthenews-entertainment youwrotethemostimportant (oneoftheJohnsoncoalition’sgreat business.Ihadthoughtitamore adviceofall:runawayfromtoxic weaknessesseemstohavebeen sophisticatedandpolishedworld, bosses.Avoidtoxicorganisations thenarrownessofitsfundamental ofCaryGrantssuavelymastering andpeopleatallcosts.Itisn’tworth goal–acleanBrexitwhich,once theuniverse.Toomuchpower, yourmentalandphysicalhealth. delivered,leftlittletouniteit). toolittlecharm–whichprobably Sunny,London DennisviaFT.com definestoday’sWashingtonaswell. PaulAMyersviaFT.com Veryinterestingpiece.Having Britainis,itseems, workedinvariouscountries,Ido overwhelminglyconsumedby Acountrypubthatskewers wonderifthereisaculturalaspect misty-eyednostalgia–eitherfor Cotswoldclichés tofeedback.WhenIworkedin along-lostempire(theTories)or byTimHayward LatinAmerica,therewereonly fordirty,pollutingVictorian-era “Pintxos(akatapas,whichis twopossiblestates:peopleavoided industry(theLabourredwall). whathappenswhenyoubuild conflictanddidn’tsayanything Asmallminorityisinterested aculturearoundbarsnacksbut thatcouldcauseanargument,or intakingthecountryforward. knownothingofTwigletsor theywouldjustexplodeand“wipe Thismatters.Itinformsour ScampiFries).”Manythanksfor thefloor”withtheotherperson. politicsanddoomsthecountry brighteningmyMondaywiththat! IntheNetherlandstheyjustspoke toforeverlivinginthepast. Ex-Tokyo-iteviaFT.com theirmind–nofilterwhatsoever. Lucifer’sConsiglieri,viaFT.com Youwouldknowinstantlyifthe TimHaywardisprobablythefinest otherpersonlikedwhatyoudidor Nationalstereotypingisthriving restaurantcriticworkinginthe notand,iftheydidn’t,why.Inthe bySimonKuper Englishlanguageatthemoment: UKmostpeoplearetoopolitetosay Brilliantandwellobserved,even hemakesyouwanttoeat.Never TOCONTRIBUTE anythingthattheythinkmightbe thoughitmakesforuncomfortable haveIfeltsuchapowerfulurge hurtfulfortheotherperson,which reading.Asafemalefromalow- Youcancommentonourarticlesonline totraveltosampleakohlrabiand [email protected]. turnsmostfeedbackprocessesinto skillcountry,Igetdiscriminated crabcombination.And“notbloody Pleaseincludeadaytimetelephone awasteoftime.Personally,Ifind againstirrespectiveofwhether panko”–sheergenius. numberandfulladdress(notfor theDutchattitudetobethebest, Iopenmymouthornot.Even publication).Lettersmaybeedited. JabberwockyviaFT.com SavethedatefortheFTWeekendFestivalonSeptember3when )noisseccuSmorf(yoRnagoL=snikneJyoR+nagoLybbaG morethan100authors,scientists,politicians,chefs,artistsand ziuqerutciP reppilC.01rozaRs’maccO.9 journalistswillappearatKenwoodHouseGardensinLondon. eldeeNecapSehT.8waSreltuBehttahW.7rennuRedalB.6 Packedwithideasandinspiration,therewillbedebates,tastings, nrohT.5kcaT.4efinkwolleY.3walCrD.2NIP.1 performancesandmore.Bookyourpassatft.com/ftwf sgnihtprahssawknilehT srewsnaziuQ 4 FT.COM/MAGAZINE JULY30/312022 French Art de Vivre m w.antoinepierini.co w w Sculpture only. usedforreference photograph Gibert, Michel Photo «MahJongSofa3D»app MahJong.ModularsofaperelementsdesignedbyHansHopfer. CHELSEA–HAMPSTEAD–HARRODS–WANDSWORTH Upholsteredin fabrics. MANCHESTER–WALTON-ON-THAMES Instoreinteriordesign&3Dmodellingservices Europeanmanufacture IInside:Infcountriesdon’tglobalise,thetirpeoplewill p12ellect UndercoverEconomist TIMHARFORD CantheUKimproveits productivity?Iwentto Legolandtofindout FewpartsoftheBritisheconomyareasmeticulouslyobserved bythiscolumnistasLegoland,athemeparkwithinsightof Windsor Castle. Each July, my son and I have sampled the delightsoftheDragonrollercoasterandtheVikingRiverSplash, enduredtherigoursoflongqueues,andovertheyearshavehad ampleopportunitytoponderwhatLegolandcanteachusabout economicproductivity. Productivityisoneofthosethingsthatyoucan’thavetoo muchof,likecompetentpoliticiansorpleasantweather,and whichtheUKlacksmorethanmost.Outputperhourhasbeen lacklustreinmanycountriessincethefinancialcrisis,buttheUK hasstagnatedmorethanitspeers. SohowcantheUKimproveitsproductivity?Ididn’texpectto findtheanswersatLegoland,butIdidhopethatitwouldhelpme toaskbetterquestions. First, where are the bottlenecks? For Legoland, the key constraintisthecapacityoftherides.If(hypothetically)20,000 peoplebuyticketstospendthedayatthepark,butLegoland’s attractionscanonlydeliver10,000ridesanhour,thenoneway oranothervisitorswillhavetowaittwohoursbetweeneachride. Thatisn’tlikelytoprovesustainable. Themostobviouswaytoimprovecapacityistoinvestinnew attractions.Legolanddoesthis,butHelenBull,thebossofthe▶ FT.COM/MAGAZINEJULY30/312022 ILLUSTRATIONBYGUILLEMCASASÚS 77 Intellect ◀LegolandWindsorresort,toldmethatthereisacycleof NotesfromtheCuttingEdge investmentintheresort:ayearortwoofhighinvestmentwill LEOLEWIS befollowedbyyearswithlowercapitalspending.AsLegoland openeditsfancynewSkyLionridelastyear,thisimpliesthatwe Whyaresmartphone maybewaitingforawhilebeforethenextbigattractionisbuilt. gamingappslyingtous CouldBritishbusinessesinvestmore?TheBankofEngland certainly thinks so; in 2017, it found that UK businesses withtheironlineadverts? persistentlyaimedfor(andachieved)anominalreturnon capitalinvestmentof12percent,despitethefactthatthecost ofdebtfellafterthefinancialcrisisfromaround6percent to3percent.Whenabusinesscanborrowat3percentto earn12percent,onehastowonderwhatisstoppingitfrom borrowingandinvestingalittlemore. The algorithms in my life have onlineandthendiscoveringwhat TheBankofEngland’sresearchblamesinertia,excessive correctly clocked that I am a peopleclickon.Theyknowwhat riskaversionafterthetraumaofthefinancialcrisisand,above gamer. Social media, streaming playswellandwhattrickspeople all,uncertainty.Whenbusinesseshavenoideawhatisaround sites,searchengines:allknowwhat fallfor.Theconclusion,atleastnow, thecorner,theytendtowaitandseebeforeinvestingheavily. stories, videos and influencers I isthatadvertsworkbestwhenthe Thepastfewyearsofeconomicshocksandpoliticaltomfoolery click on, and have an unerringly gameinthefootageisplayedbadly, cannothavehelped. goodideaofwhatI’llclickonnext. andthesucker(you)isinvitedto Evenwithoutanotherbiginvestment,Legolandcouldget Theeffectofthisaccumulated downloadthegameanddobetter. moreoutofthesitewithmoreworkers.Onmyrecentvisit, insight,though,hasbeentoturn For the producers of both the theice-creamkioskswereclosedformostofahotday,and mostofmynon-workengagement games and the ads, this is about theminorrideswereoftenstationarybecauseonlyasingle with the internet into a con that numbers. The vast majority of staffmemberwaspresenttosuperviseloading.Butitcannot would make PT Barnum blush. people who fall for the ads will be easy to recruit a seasonal workforce, particularly since Irefertoadvertsformobilephone downloadthegame–forfree–and Britishpoliticianshavebeensokeentoemphasiserestrictions games. Speaking as someone quicklyrealiseitistotalrubbish. Conimmigration. confrontedwithperhaps100such Theydeleteit,andthecurrencyof ads on any given day, these are thetransactionhasbeentimeand ouldLegolandgetaproductivityboostfrom a scourge whose unchallenged irritationratherthanrealmoney. newtechnologies?Perhaps.Themostobvi- persistencemocksusall. Afew,though,willdecidethat, ousexampleistheSkyLionride,whichadds Inalmostallcases,thetrickisthe despite the disparity between alargedigitalprojectortosomejudiciously samebait-and-switch–purported ad and reality, the game they’ve choreographed physical effects (tipping, footage from a game that looks downloaded is worth playing. A vibrating,squirtsofwaterandblastsofhot fabulous fun (perhaps involving smallproportionmayevenfunnel air)toproducetheillusionofdramaticswoops.It’sacredible waves of zombies or gangster realmoneyintothegameasthey rivaltothelargephysicalrollercoasters,andpresumablywill empires)butwhichdoesnotexistor progress,andthestinghaspaidoff. bevastlyeasiertorefreshafterafewyears. bearsnomorethan For advertisers – Legolandisalsotryingtousesmartphoneappstoorganise a passing relation and the regulators The$130bnglobal bothstaffandvisitorsmoreefficiently.Staffnolongermonitor totheactual(vapid who evidently see marketformobile theparkfromdesktopcomputersinanearbyoffice;theycan or glitchy) game no problem – the seehowtheparkisdoinginrealtimeonatablet.Visitors beingadvertised. phonegamesisan defence is that canalsouseappstobuytickets,reserveridesorfindshorter Therearevarious attractiveplayground nobodypaysmoney queues.(Theappalsooffersaugmentedreality,butIhave versions of the forthedeceivers without knowing notbeenabletomakeitwork.)Ultimately,though,allthis con.Commonones what the game is computingpowerseemsasmarginalforproductivitygrowth involve intricate- really like. The atLegolandasithasbeeninmanyotherpartsoftheeconomy. looking puzzles, mini-games or exceptiontothiswasinlate2020 Radicalchangeisoftenrequiredtounlocknewtechnologies. role-playsituationsthateitherdon’t whentheUK’sAdvertisingStandards Orperhapswearethinkingaboutproductivityallwrong? feature when you download the Authorityorderedthegamemaker Afterall,itisreductivetomeasurethe“output”ofLegoland game,orappearsoinfrequentlyas Playrix to stop using adverts intermseitherofpoundsspentorevenridesprovided.The tobarelyexist.Thentherearethose for two games, Homescapes and desiredoutputisafunday,fondlyremembered,forasmany thatwildlyexaggeratethepaceand Gardenscapes,becausetheadverts peopleaspossible. underlyingnatureofthegame.Some didnotshow“coregameplay”. DianeCoyle,professorofpublicpolicyatCambridge,and arecreativeembellishment,others Therulingsuggestedafloodof Leonard Nakamura of the Philadelphia Fed have recently downrightlies,withvideosshowing similar bans that never arrived. beenadvocatinganalternativemeasureofeconomicprogress alluring scenes of strategy and And the absence of a hard line thatfocusesonhowpeoplespendandenjoytheirtime.Their actionthatare,infact,justfigments has encouraged the tricksters to perspectiveshedslightontheblurringofworkandhomelife. ofananimator’simagination. proliferate,andthesophistication InthecaseofLegoland,itsuggeststhatsincequeuesattheme Allofthisadvertisingfitsatried ofthecontointensify.Thefactthat parksareaninevitability,perhapsmoreshouldbedoneto and tested formula. The $130bn the games are downloadable via makethequeuesthemselvespleasant. global market for mobile phone platformslikeGooglePlayreflects Fortunately for theme parks everywhere, behavioural games is not only an attractive poorlyontheirroleasregulatorsof sciencetellsusthatalongqueuefortherollercoasterwillbe playground for the deceivers, it standards.Wewouldn’ttoleratethis largelyforgotten;werecallinsteadafewthrillingmoments isalsosohugethatthereisalotof kindofdeceptiononabusshelter rightattheend.ForLegolandthatisperfectlysatisfactory. incrediblyaccuratedatathatcan billboard.Sowhat’sthejustification Itisjustashamethat“focusonthegoodstuffandshovethe helpthemtodeceive.Theproducers fortreatingtheinternetasaplace restdownthememoryhole”nowappearstobethecentral ofthegames,andtherearemany wheredishonestyisthedefault? plankoftheUK’seconomicstrategy. sucharoundtheworld,havebeen testingtheseadvertsonusforyears: LeoLewisistheFT’s TimHarford’slatestbookis“HowtoMaketheWorldAddUp” puttingmultipleversionsofthebait Asiabusinesseditor 8 FT.COM/MAGAZINEJULY30/312022 Intellect ‘TheLunchontheBeach(AfterManet)’,fromTheIsland,2021 GALLERY Photographby MÓNICADEMIRANDA Postcolonialpowerdynamicsplay lockdown.“Itwasatimethat itas“autopicplacewherewe totheother.”Thephotograph outinscenesstagedbyAngolan- calledforarethinkingofour couldescapeto,aspacethatholds alsoalludestothehistoryofthe PortugueseartistMónicade waysofliving,ourwaysoftaking recurringsymbolismsofrebirth beachasaplaceofleisure,tothe Miranda.Likemuchofher careofourenvironmentandof andrenewal”. relationshipsbetweenmenand work,hermostrecentprojectis ourselves,”deMirandasays.In In“TheLunchontheBeach womenand,“inthefiguresof groundedinresearchintoAfrican hermind,theislandwasaplace (AfterManet)”,deMirandadepicts adolescentchildrenoverlooking H. P anddiasporichistory,blending ofsafety.“Iwasresearchingthe aliminal,ever-shiftingstrip theirencounter”,toinnocence, RA G factwithfiction.TitledTheIsland, blackpresenceinPortugalduring betweenlandandwater.“Here experienceandmortality. UTOUND itcomprisesafilmandseriesof the19thcenturyandreadabout thesetwoelementscommunicate,” AF photographsthatexploreblack anAfro-diasporiccommunity shesays.“Wateristheelement WordsbyEmmaBowkett. DBYART historyinPortugal. thatwasformedaroundtheriver acrosswhichtradeandslavery ‘MónicadeMiranda:TheIsland’isat ONEDBY Shebeganworkingonthe Sado,aplacecalled‘theIslandof occurred,butalsothefluxesof Autograph,LondonuntilOctober22. MISSIORTE scriptforthefilmduringthefirst Blacks’,”sheexplains,describing organicmatterandhowoneled autograph.org.uk OMUPP CS 10 FT.COM/MAGAZINE JULY30/312022