I went, last night, to one of those chain restaurants you see advertised on TV. It's less than a mile from my home. They serve good food and are reasonably priced. Now, most of the time, I will order a steak when I go. I have always been a steak and potatoes man. I always will be. So, I ordered the 12oz sirloin and with all the usual entrees. As usual, we had an excellent waitress and she kept our glasses of ice tea (down south, it's considered almost a sin not to have ice tea with your meal) full.

Right after she filled our glasses the last time, a cook brought out our food. The cook said, a bit too authoritatively, for me to cut the steak to make sure it was medium well as I had ordered. Notice I didn't say he "asked" me to cut it. I looked at my companions, said nothing and told the cook (I am assuming he was a cook) it was just fine. He then said is there anything else I can bring you (meaning all of us). I told him I wanted A-1 steak sauce. The look he gave me was one of incredulity. "Well, you really don't need steak sauce with the seasonings added it to it, sir," said the cook. My companions then looked at me a bit stunned. I looked up at the cook and said, "Tell you what...when you buy a steak, you eat it the way you want. But, with me, I want A-1 steak sauce with my steak," I replied. The cook then rushed away and I didn't see him again. I told the waitress what happened, she apologized and brought me the A-1 sauce. I was still mad about it. I thought about discussing it with the manager. But, was talked out of it.

Two of the people with me asked me why I was so rude to the cook. I was already mad and that made me even more mad. I have always been the type of person to treat people the same way they treat me. You treat me well, I'll return it. Treat me bad, I'll return that also. The way I looked at it, he got off on the wrong foot with his "demand" that I cut the steak to see if it was cooked to my satisfaction. I realize that is standard procedure from a cook or waitress when you order a steak. There is a difference in asking someone to do something and telling them to do it. A significant difference. Maybe I made a bit too much of it. I don't know. I think if I had said something to the manager that would have been a bit too much. Maybe I was wrong. I'm curious what others would have done in the same situation.