Menus

Why do people spend so much time reading menus?

The rational part of your brain runs out of juice after seven or eight choices, and most menus have twenty or thirty at least. Why not just ask the waiter what's good, make sure you're not allergic, and order?

When I go out to eat alone (which, yes, is pretty rare), sometimes I take out a little telescope ("monocular") and look through the menu. But sometimes, I just like to wing it, and the food I get is inevitably delicious. And I haven't spent all that time reading lists of ingredients, or trying to brush up on my Italian.

I think what I'm trying to say is that if none of us could read menus, we'd all have a lot more time on our hands, and we'd eat better. Plus, since specials tend to be more expensive, restaurants would make more money.

More productivity? Better diet? More commerce? Sounds like the solution to the economy to me. Mr. President-Elect, it's time to ban menus.