At the local coffee shop a man behind the counter is putting food items inside a glass case. He aligns two sandwiches straight on a plate and puts it into the case, then turns his attention elsewhere as he slides the back door of the case closed.

As he does this, the glass door catches, just a little, on the end of one sandwich. The plate—and both sandwiches on it—rotate, ever so slightly, so they’re no longer facing straight-on, but now they’re turned at a slight angle to customers looking from the other side of the counter.

First I smile at the inconsequential accident. Then, after a moment, I realize this presentation—the now slightly rotated sandwiches—appears much more pleasing than the straight-on way they were originally placed. The food stuff appear more dynamic and captivating than the bland, dead-on presentation they were first placed in. It’s a very small thing, but it conveys something worth consideration.

I don’t think anyone else noticed the subtle, accidental shift. The coffee shop worker himself was seemingly oblivious to the rotation of the sandwich plate. But I could see how some individual might look at the display case in its state and mistakenly think of just how well the presentation of food items was designed. They might even think someone put deliberate effort into the presentation. Of course I knew the truth, and now so you do you.