I ll have what she is having

Sreenidhi Podder
Aug 01, 2025

If you do not enjoy rom-coms, I strongly recommend that you give When Harry Met Sally... a chance. It’s not one of those where love is depicted in its most utopian version, or where two people unite against logic, compatibility, and reality. In total honesty, sometimes such depictions do take away the gravitas of the emotions, but not When Harry Met Sally….




Don’t believe me? Here’s a little taste of the madness that you can expect: the iconic deli scene.




Packed with raw humor and drenched in sarcasm and wit, the deli scene is an ingenious way of addressing taboos, such as hookup culture and female pleasure. Laid out as a bonding scene between two friends of opposite genders, the banter slowly but mindfully escalates to a conversation that's often shrugged off. As Harry and Sally quibble with each other, we are pulled into their conversation, forced to ponder our opinions on the topic of debate.

So, what makes the scene so special? In this article, let’s revisit the iconic deli scene from When Harry Met Sally… to understand what makes it such a powerful scene.

The Scene
The deli scene in When Harry Met Sally… is a moment of reconnection between Harry and Sally as friends. They have both recently embraced singlehood after painful breakups and run into each other at a bookstore, five years after their last meeting.

From the bookstore, the two go to Katz’s Deli for a quick lunch to catch up. They sit at the table and place their orders: a turkey club sandwich for Sally and a pastrami sandwich for Harry. It’s lunch hour and, naturally, the deli is bustling with people—the servers are as busy as bees.

The two are lost in conversation, as their food is served. Harry tells Sally how he’s been happy with meaningless hookups since he ended things with his cheating wife. Sally keeps asking him questions, curious how he’s okay with just meaningless sex. The conversation soon makes its way to the topic of female orgasms. Harry confidently claims that the women he hooks up with are pretty happy with their little arrangement, considering how he knows his way around the female body.

“They haven’t faked it with me,” Harry states with unshaken confidence.

“How do you know?” asks Sally.

“Because I know,” replies Harry smugly.


Sally is slightly annoyed by Harry’s inflated ego about his sexual prowess. Harry asks rhetorically, to further push his argument, “You don’t think I can tell the difference?” Sally promptly replies, “No.” Harry, still not believing her, goes to concentrate on his food now, brushing away Sally’s claim. Sally simply smiles.

Moments later, Sally is moaning: her cries growing louder and explosively funnier. She is faking an orgasm, right there, in the middle of the deli. A few seconds into her performance, the entire place goes quiet, as her loud moans echo through the room. It is as if time has come to a standstill: everybody is gaping at her, awkward and frozen. Harry, caught completely off guard, watches her, stunned. Sally finishes her fake orgasm and goes back to eating her lunch as if nothing happened.

After Sally finishes and calmly resumes eating, a nearby customer is approached by the server for her lunch order. “I’ll have what she is having,” the elderly lady replies with a poker-straight face.

If this is not funny to you, we can’t be friends! (Just kidding!)