QR Code Blues

Ever since QR codes replaced physical menus at many restaurants across the city, I have found myself missing the feeling of my hands on a piece of paper with curling corners. I miss turning it around to show my friend what I’m thinking of getting. I miss the way my eyes would dart hungrily across the page, from top-left corner to bottom-right, taking in menu items as points in a single, giant, satisfying constellation. The current procedure could not be more unsatisfying: scanning the QR code that sits rudely in the middle of the table to summon the menu on my phone, each item taking up the whole screen, then having to scroll down, up, and down again just to recall which dish it was that came with a side of crispy potatoes. Sorry, I’ll need a minute.