When Mann orders his sandwich, he orders a Swiss cheese sandwich on rye and proceeds to spell out R-Y-E to the waitress!
I mean he's still in America, I think she knows what rye bread is!
"I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus."
"Didn't he discover America?"
"Penfold, shush."
I wondered that, too. I caught this movie last night after having not seen it in about five years. I also wondered why he wanted ketchup. Didn't he order a cheese sandwich and what looked like a side of potato chips? I guess it's personal taste, but I don't see how ketchup fits into that. Sounds nasty.
To differentiate it from "white" bread. Since the two words can sometimes be confused because they sound a bit alike, Weaver wanted to clarify it for the waitress.
shareThat was an unappetizing lunch order. And did he ever get the aspirin?
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Yes, he got the asprin and chased it with nearly a full glass of water. The poor guy was nervous.
Thanks! I always wondered. Can't believe this was a TV movie!
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I think he was so rattled he just ordered the easiest thing. Can't imagine him saying, "and I'd like the hamburger to be well-done, the lettuce crisp, and don't overtoast the bun!" :>
Did he order a beverage?
I don't think they demand you pay for a cheese sandwich after you started a fight like a crazy person. And the old guys outside who saw him hit the fence didn't seem to care that he did.
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I've always thought he spelt it out because he was just so distracted & nervous. He didn't expect he was making any sense & so clarified it.
He's taking the knife out of the Cheese!
Do you think he wants some cheese?
Swiss Cheese on Rye is a tasty sandwich. I prefer butter over ketchup. How about the truck driver who eats his sandwhich with each bite he takes a sip of beer? lol
"I'm a vehemently anti-nuclear, paranoid mess, harbouring a strange obsession with radioactive sheep."
If he would have just gotten a cheeseburger, I think they would have thought him to be somewhat normal, but come on - a cheese sandwich on rye? Where's the beef?
shareI noticed that. Washing a sandwich down with beer, ew! Separate is fine but I don't see how both at the same time tastes good.
shareThis might be the best thread on the internet, I've seen Duel so many times and I never realised this scene would influence so much debate, especially for these reasons.
shareFor what it's worth, I think ketchup is a perfectly natural thing to have with a cheese sandwich. I put a little puddle in the corner of my plate for dipping -- granted, that's a grilled cheese sandwich, and I tend to stick with cheddar or mozza for such a purpose. If we add ham, that's another story.
Here in Canada it'd be odd to be without ketchup under those circumstances. Hell, we even have ketchup with French toast (or "fried bread") and we've got maple syrup coming out our collective arse.
As for the practice of "washing down", I know there's a degenerative condition that tends to cause difficulty swallowing, and it can get to the point where the act becomes almost impossible without a drink.
maybe a little ketchup. just a little.
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I don't think the reataurant manager was scared of Weaver one iota. Weaver didn't come across as a tough guy and he certainly was not physically intimidating in the least. He looked like a wimpy kind of guy, afraid of his own shadow.
shareI don't remember seeing him pay for his lunch
I also wondered why he never attempted to pay for the fence that he had driven into.
I noticed he drank the entire glass of water. He didn't think to order iced tea, a Coke or coffee? The meal was bland enough but with water?
shareI am formerly known as HillieBoliday....Member since May 2006.
Well I'm sure he was very thirsty, and although you can quench a thirst with a cold Coke or iced tea.....a cup of hot coffee is not going to do the job.
If he is a vegetarian as stated on another post.....water would be the logical beverage to drink with his cheese sandwich.
"OOhhhooo....I'M GON' TELL MAMA!"
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I don't know why he spelled it out, and he seemed so angry when he said it. Maybe it was just to show how jumpy he was. As for why just a cheese sandwich, maybe he was a vegetarian, in the 70's there probably weren't that many vegetarian options on a roadside diner's menu. Probably just a salad, which would probably be wilted hamburger lettuce, and maybe cottage cheese.
As for the ketchup, it doesn't sound good to me either, but I used to know a girl that put ketchup on her french toast!
To keep the waitress from making a wry joke.
shareIt could be just a small nuance to set up the difference between him (white collar worker) and the truckers in the place.
shareb/c he's a j-a-c-k-a-s-s?
His name...was Julio Iglesias!
Remember how nervous he was in Touch Of Evil? lol
"I've seen things in this city that make Dante's Inferno read like Winnie The Pooh."
Well, can you blame him? If you'd gone through a fright, or a nerve-wracking, harrowing experience, I think you'd be a little shaken and nervous too, and not exactly rational.
shareI love everything about the diner segment. I love the backwards camera-walk to the bathroom. I love his inner-dialog with himself about all that's happened thus far. I love the guy that stuffs his mouth full of sandwich bites and then sips his beer. And I always thought about Mann spelling out RYE for the simple reason someone else sort of mentioned - trying to seperate himself from simple townfolk - Mr Mann seemed a little arrogant.
I love this movie so much, and I swear I think about it and the whole diner scene whenever I eat a sandwich.
spelling out...s-o-u-r-d-o-u-g-h...would have been impressive.
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spelling out...s-o-u-r-d-o-u-g-h...would have been impressive.
he does seem like a huge fan of sushi. they way he pecks at his food.
The food I've liked in my time is American country cookin'-Colonel Sanders 🇺🇸
I'm surprised they even had rye in the diner. He didn't even eat it anyway, I didn't think he intended to.
shareb/c he's a s-p-a-z?
'I promise you a police car on every sidewalk.'- Marion Barry
Rye bread was more popular back in the day than it is now! But back east more, not so much in California ever!
Just another odd thing about this movie. Strange not to order a meat sandwich and on an unusual bread type too!
I figured his stomach was in knots, and he thought he couldn't digest anything heavier than a cheese sandwich. Some people can't eat much when they're worried or on edge. But vegetarian options are healthier anyway.
share'Twas a ponderous moment.
shareHe's an arrogant ass that needed a good bitch slap. Too bad that big guy didn't beat him up more.
shareHis life, and the current situation, were out of control. Being particular with things was a coping mechanism- a stab at stabilization.
shareYeah! I guess! And a cheese sandwich on rye? OK? Doesn't sound all that good? Not even a grilled cheese sandwich, but a plain cold cheese sandwich?
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