It was a brie and cranberry panini that nearly killed my friend George. Six of us were squashed on to one picnic bench in Edinburgh, nine years ago, on our lunch break at a magazine. I felt an instant click with George when he we first met. I was an intern when I first met George, nauseous with first-day nerves. \u201cIs that a Welsh twang I can hear? Sorry, I\u2019m George!\u201d he\u2019d said, before talking me through the office milk-buying etiquette. We had that frenetic compatibility that makes you assume you\u2019ll be friends for ever.<\/p>\n
Within a couple of years I\u2019d become part of the team. That day at lunch, as someone cracked a joke, George mistimed his bite. He cleared his throat while we slapped his back and chuckled. Then the colour drained from his lips. His coughs turned to rattly gasps, his fingers flew to his collarbone and his eyes rolled back.<\/p>\n
I realised then the stark difference between movies and reality. When someone chokes in real life, there\u2019s no dramatic music tipping you off to impending tragedy \u2013 just your friend gasping for air. Ambulances arrive instantly in films; realistically, they can take much longer. You can die from choking waiting for one. On the picnic bench that day, I was paralysed \u2013 until I remembered a scene from a certain 2000 Sandra Bullock<\/a> action romcom.<\/p>\n An obsession began \u2013 I\u2019d watch it, rewind the tape and watch it again. I probably still know it word for word <\/p><\/blockquote>\n One Christmas in the early 00s, my sister unwrapped a shiny new VHS of Miss Congeniality Miss Congeniality, the cover of which featured\u2013 Bullock in a fuchsia gown, black boots and a gun holster strapped to her thigh. The VHS quickly came under my custody and an obsession began \u2013 I\u2019d watch it, rewind the tape and watch it again on my bedroom TV. I probably still know it word for word. It\u2019s all dance routines, pastel chiffon and ticker tape \u2013 one big glittery sleepover. But it also solved my childhood dilemma over whether to be a fearless tomboy or manicured beauty queen. Kickboxing and bagel-inhaling FBI agent Gracie Hart, played by Bullock, tries both and \u2013 huge relief \u2013 isn\u2019t perfect at either.<\/p>\n Take, for example, one of the opening scenes, in which Hart risks her career \u2013 and life \u2013 when she defies orders during an undercover sting to save a Russian target who\u2019s choking on a peanut. The line \u201cThat\u2019s one really, really purple Russian, sir\u201d used to make me laugh \u2013 but now George\u2019s face was the exact same colour.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n Sign up to Inside Saturday<\/p>\n The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend.<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: <\/strong>Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n In the film, Gracie throws her arms around the Russian man\u2019s waist and places her thumbs at his navel. Years later, the image of her thrusting at his abdomen, over and over until the peanut flies out, sprung into my mind as George gasped.<\/p>\n Suddenly, I was behind him, arms around his waist. \u201cAm I really doing first aid informed by nothing but a 00s VHS?\u201d I thought. On one of my final thrusts, the lump of panini came flying out. I didn\u2019t even notice \u2013 in my panic I had rushed off to a nearby cafe, bargaining with the universe to deliver an off\u2011duty medical professional. When I returned, George was sipping water, pallid but alive. \u201cKate, you\u2019d already saved him!\u201d my colleagues laughed. When George gathered the strength, he gave me a very shaky hug.<\/p>\n Another Hollywood cliche that doesn\u2019t bear out in real life is that saving a life creates a permanent bond. Reality is less sentimental. I left the magazine, moved to London, and George and I stopped speaking. But I like to think we both hold that day as a postcard from our funny friendship \u2013 and that he\u2019s more careful nowadays when eating sandwiches.<\/p>\n Years later, the story of Miss Congeniality and the brie and cranberry panini would play another major role in my life. When I applied for a dream role at Cosmopolitan, I had to submit a first-person piece. I wrote about panini-gate, got the job, and it changed the trajectory of my career. I eventually became an investigative journalist \u2013 and have even been undercover several times, just like FBI agent Gracie Hart.<\/p>\n Did a cultural moment prompt you to make a major life change? Email us at cultural.awakening@theguardian.com<\/p>\n Share your experience<\/p>\n Share your experiences<\/p>\n You can tell us how a cultural moment has prompted you to make a major life change by filling in the form below or emailing us on\u00a0cultural.awakening@theguardian.com.<\/p>\n Your responses, which can be anonymous, are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. We will only use the data you provide us for the purpose of the feature and we will delete any personal data when we no longer require it for this purpose. For true anonymity please use our SecureDrop<\/a> service instead.Show more<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It was a brie and cranberry panini that nearly killed my friend George. 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