Prestidigitation (Now you see it; Now you don't.)

I was enjoying a cup of coffee in the Atocha train station Madrid, Spain while waiting for departure to Toledo.  As I admired the cleanliness of the station, a gentleman walked by and quickly snatched a half of sandwich left for scrap on the table next to me.  The leftover was gulped without chewing; vanishing at an amazing pace.  ‘Did he take that?’   He turned without making eye contact and moved toward a bank of ticket machines.  At first glance, he seemed well-groomed, he wore dark trousers and a beige ivy cap – quite dapper from a distance but upon closer examination, I noticed that the sleeves to his outer jacket were soiled.  He pulled a small suitcase blending in as a traveler as he strolled to the bay of automatic ticket machines.  At sleight of hand speed, he swiftly slipped his right hand into each coin return, careful to be looking out at the hub bub of people while letting his fingers do the seeing.  I read once that advanced sleight of hand requires months (sometimes years) of practice before it can be performed expertly in front of an audience.  This man mastered the technique and also was adept in not drawing spectators to observe.   An elderly magician … sad commentary on the economic state of the world, but for the moment, I bow to his resourcefulness.