All in the Presentation


Recently, I was presented with a charcuterie board that my wife Mindy gave me for my birthday. It did come with some other goodies, but I was quite interested in how to set up my very own charcuterie board.

Having remembered a discussion I had with a colleague of mine, Peter Wildbore, I set out to make a very appetizing and appealing board filled with meats, vegetables, fruit and dips. (Due to certain dietary restrictions, where I do not combine dairy with meat products, I chose to use meat products for this charcuterie board.)

From a Customs perspective, I have a quote that I use when discussing submissions prepared for Customs during an audit. I outline that sometimes, "it is not what you say but how you say it". Basically, it is "all in the presentation".

One can outline responses to questions in multiple different ways and each response is accurate, truthful, and provides the information being requested. But how you provide this information is also key to the communication process with Customs.

A charcuterie board can have various tasty items on it. But if everything is dumped on the board without a method of organization, the visual negativity that it will bring can almost definitely affect the taste and how the foods are enjoyed.

Similarly, providing responses to Customs that are not placed in order or do not have a table of contents to allow the audit officer to review with ease can be determinantal to the audit process.

A steak served on china tastes different than a steak served on paper plates. Same steak. Different presentation.

It is "All in the Presentation".




Thank you to my wife Mindy for the charcuterie board and thank you to Peter Wildbore for showing me some of the ways to set one up.
Location: Montreal, QC, Canada

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