A few days ago, I dropped a newly-opened 500g tub of Flora margarine, and it landed, openside-down, on the kitchen floor. When I picked it up the entire polyunsaturated block decided that it quite liked it there, and came clean out of the tub.

1. I found that I was, in equal measure, irritated at the inconvenience, and intrigued by the unusual sight of half a kilo of raw yellow fat.

2. I used a fresh tea-towel (from the cupboard) to pick the block up, and placed it, rightside-up now, on a clean plate. I was surprised at how slippy and awkward it was to pick up. Given what it was that I was picking up, I find the fact that I was surprised in itself surprising.

3. I used some kitchen roll to carefully remove any margarine that might have come into contact with the floor. As the block was almost new I could afford to go for it a bit when removing any potentially unhygienic sections. I was in effect “margarine-rich” at the time of making the decision. A less abundant block of margarine would no doubt have precipitated more frugal estimate as to how much to remove. Thus our perception of reality is relative, and affected by environmental factors, including the mental state of the observer. Could this discovery lead philosophers to a sister theory to Occam’s Razor, known as “Occam’s Kitchen Roll”?

4. I was then able to de-invert the block of margarine back into the plastic tub and, with a minimum of cosmetic prodding, return it to at least a fleeting approximation of its previous state.

5. I was briefly entertained by the idea of returning it to the tub bottom-side-up, and the possibility of consuming the margarine backwards. I eventually concluded that the correct order should be restored, but I emerged from the experience a wiser and more complete person.

6. I have glimpsed the underside of the margarine.