Almost Hell For Another Diner, Not For Me

June 16, 2009

in Illness/Medical Stories

Wife and I and our best friends (he a doctor) were having dinner at a famous steakhouse in Brooklyn (no names here, let’s just call the place Peter L.). We were digging into our steak and as a family was leaving the room, an older gentleman collapsed, motionless, to the floor on the way out.

Now, mind you, going to an expensive place like this is an extravagance and I wasn’t about to let the fact that there was a dying man a few feet away from me spoil the meal. The people at the table next to us agreed (they had the restaurant’s famous “Holy Cow” sundaes in front of them, and those darn things melt) so we all continued eating as the drama unfolded. I mean, we are New Yorkers, right?

My friend however, being a doctor, felt he had no choice. Since nobody else there answered the call, he was on the ground with the guy, giving him CPR. So, this was going on for quite a while as we waited for the ambulance to come. I finished my own portion of steak (while my friend was still working furiously on the guy). I looked at my friend’s plate. All that un-eaten steak. So lonely, not fulfilling its purpose, a sad thing, to be sure. God cries when a steak goes un-eaten at Peter L., right? So I reached over and started eating my friend’s steak. I mean, he was spending his time working furiously on that guy 10 feet away and his steak was getting cold anyway.

Finally the ambulance arrived and took over for my friend (who had in fact saved the guy’s life). So, Dr. Friend was royally pissed off when he came back to the table and half his steak was gone. You snooze, you lose, fella.

The maitre d’ said “no check” for our table, since my friend had spared them a headline they didn’t need about a guy dying in their place after eating. But Dr. Friend stared me down. “All right. Sheesh!” I said, as I gave the waiter the full tip myself. I mean, my friend’s wife ate too, right? Don’t you agree my friend ripped me off?

True story from 2007.

Dyinglikeflies

{ 43 comments… read them below or add one }

GottaLoveIt June 20, 2009 at 6:55 pm

Wow. You certainly are an asshole, aren't you?

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bob October 31, 2017 at 1:40 am

OK, someone's dying, someone else is trying to help, and you take the opportunity to steal his food? This can't be real.

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Julicans June 21, 2009 at 4:14 am

Truly a A-1 asshole.

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whitewolf June 21, 2009 at 3:15 pm

You, sir/ma'am/THING, are a self-centred, uncultured, ingnorant, spoiled, unappreciative asshole (to call you a swine would be an insult to both pigs and flus)

You can join "Distressed Waitress" in the do-sod-off-you-revolting-wretch department…

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FedEx February 18, 2018 at 2:51 pm

Make sure to follow him, you belong there too.

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Elodie June 21, 2009 at 8:09 pm

I'm desperately hoping this is all just some joke, because if it's not, then you are an insensitive idiot. You honestly cared more about eating steak rather than a man dying slowly on the floor? And when your friend saves his life, you didn't give him any respect at all–in fact, you ate HIS dinner, and then became insulted when he became offended at your selfish, greedy behavior. It seems to me that this is all just some stupid prank you're pulling just to get attention, because someone this stupid cannot possibly exist, but if it's not, then you, sir, are a freaking clod who needs to think about others for a change.

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Nacho June 22, 2009 at 5:29 am

To quote many others on this and FlightsFromHell, this can't be true.

I can't imagine that there are people out there as callous, stupid, and insensitive as you.

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Amber May 12, 2016 at 2:59 pm

Sadly, I'm not surprised.

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Amelia June 22, 2009 at 6:37 am

This has to be flamebait. Don't feed the trolls!

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None June 22, 2009 at 8:26 am

I certainly hope, if you're ever dying on a restaurant floor, all those "New Yorkers" around you show you the same treatment your selfish, probably enormous ass showed the dying man. You are despicable, and you make me ashamed of our entire species.

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SAW June 22, 2009 at 10:14 am

If you are real, please send me your picture. That way, if I ever see you in pain, or trouble, I can give a copy of your story to anyone who might be stupid enough to want to help you…

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Hugh June 25, 2009 at 4:04 am

Wow, you must really be bored and lonely to comeonto sites like this and make things up. So, when exactly will you be moving out of mom's basement?

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mensa58 June 29, 2009 at 4:09 am

What others have said — what an insensitive jerk. You eat your friend's meal and then expect him to pay the full price?

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aaron July 2, 2009 at 9:12 am

douche bag

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SAW July 2, 2009 at 4:08 pm

Hmmm… aaron sums that up nicely. And with just two words

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n/a July 8, 2009 at 2:53 pm

Are you for real? Your complaining? For what possible reason do you have to complain? You are amoung the reason the "New Yorkers" do not change their ways and start caring. The reailty, I do believe that this world would be better off without people like you.

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DJA July 31, 2009 at 6:49 pm

I call troll.

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Demotage August 6, 2009 at 11:46 am

A column in our local Newspaper deals with letters from readers fed up with some aspect of someone else's driving – it's a very popular column! A lot of the letters involve someone talking on their cell phone while driving. One day, someone wrote in to complain that he had stopped in the road to look up a number on his phone, and was upset because the driver behind him had honked at him, causing him to lose his place in his phonebook!

OMG, the firestorm of letters that followed that one…until the host had to point out to everyone that it was an obvious joke…..just like this letter. Nobody could be this much of a jerk.

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dyinglikeflies August 6, 2009 at 11:54 am

Gee, I'm not feeling the love here. My friend the doctor, as a steak lover himself, thought I did the right thing. Until you've had Luger's steak you wouldn't understand, I guess.

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steak lover September 20, 2009 at 3:23 am

I've eaten there numerous times. The OP is correct-you don't let that steak sit there. It must be eaten. The cow died for a holy purpose.

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Mickey November 29, 2009 at 6:45 pm

The real asshole here is the dude who collapsed – why come to an expensive restaurant and (probably deliberately) screw other patrons out of enjoyment of a good meal?? Selfishness…..I dunno….what's the world coming to?

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Slotper December 3, 2009 at 3:34 am

The doctor should have slapped you about the chops. I would be royally pissed off if anyone ate my steak while I was doing CPR.

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GDTRFB58 February 7, 2010 at 9:04 am

Well, I am the "friend the doctor" and I can tell you the story is entirely true, except for 1 small point. When I returned to the table, I had such a bad taste in my mouth, the only thing I could put in it was vodka. If that steak had gone to waste, it would have been a true tragedy (the man lived).

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bob October 31, 2017 at 1:52 am

CPR is very physically demanding. I don't have a lot of upper body strength and a minute or two will wear me out. Even relatively fit, or very fit, individuals are only able to give effective compressions for a few minutes. That's why we take turns and also why we have a pneumatic machine that will deliver compressions.

I question the "doctor's" ability to maintain CPR alone for the time it would take for an ambulance to be dispatched and arrive. Maybe he's Dr Hulk.

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senta April 4, 2010 at 5:31 am

The friend of the doctor schould had draged this half dead geezer out of the restaurant for the undertaker to pick up. I don't like it either to eat my juicy steak with a dead body laying around who probably released urin already.

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Peace Lover May 12, 2010 at 2:04 pm

I once fainted at the restaurant where I work. It was after hearing the awful news that my beloved grandfather had died. The shock was too much and I passed out. Luckly one of the staff was a medic and sorted me out.

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TheBrit September 28, 2010 at 7:21 am

As a New Yorker, I'm insulted.

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College Kid November 2, 2010 at 1:23 pm

trolled

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Substantial April 5, 2011 at 2:14 am

"I mean, we are New Yorkers, right?"
Yes. Which makes you crashing bores.
NEXT!

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Shamu September 6, 2011 at 3:39 am

Somebody's parents forgot to use birth control.

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john August 2, 2012 at 12:36 pm

obvious troll is obvious

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dyinglikeflies August 9, 2012 at 7:42 am

scroll up to GDTRFB58 (that's Larry, who did the CPR). totally true. Being with him still gets me a faster table when I'm there.

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Gregg August 10, 2012 at 4:36 pm

Thanks for the update Dyinglikeflies! Your story is one of my favorites.

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Hack August 25, 2012 at 12:36 pm

This story is not true.
If it is, then this diner is messed up. Seriously.

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GDTRFB58 August 25, 2012 at 12:59 pm

It is definitely true.
I guess you mean the guy that had the cardiac arrest. He definitely messed up. He probably shouldn't have had the extra Shlag on the Pecan Pie!

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Hack August 28, 2012 at 6:06 pm

Liar.

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dyinglikeflies October 6, 2012 at 3:10 pm

Ask Harry the waiter there (the one with 2 daughters). Boy you're a cynic. See, how can I not be so callous and indifferent to the guy dying nearby when there are cynics like you in the world?

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Hack October 30, 2012 at 8:57 am

cynics?

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sayuncle December 4, 2012 at 5:35 pm

The story is undoubtedly true, and it would not be the first time a large, rich meal at this restaurant preceded and likely resulted in a cardiac event. I can attest to that, or at least my dead uncle could (if he wasn't, err, dead).

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D_Me August 30, 2013 at 7:44 am

Asshole

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Gregg September 29, 2013 at 6:15 pm

Thought this news piece about a doctor saving the life of a choking victim in a restaurant would fit in well with this story: Calif. doctor saves choking diner with knife.

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Mel November 2, 2016 at 3:17 pm

Wow, with friends like you, who needs enemies? God forbid a doctor do his job and save a man's life while his precious steak is left to get cold!!! Have you never heard of to-go boxes or microwaves?!?

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Glutton February 14, 2017 at 1:08 pm

It would be a lesser sin to let that man die than to microwave good porterhouse. The OP acted correctly.

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