[Photograph: Samsara in Wikimedia Commons]

A paean to old-school waiter badassitude in the Washington Post as the paper reports that fewer waiters are going pad-and-penless these days. Instead of memorizing customers' orders, the new generation of wait staff has to jot it all down.

Why? An increase of finicky demands from diners, larger party sizes, and "a generation that seems less comfortable with memorization."

Says Richard Weber, a longtime waiter at the Palm in D.C.:

"I've always gone by memory — it just feels more professional that way. Sometimes you have to go into the walk-in cooler and scream, yeah, but usually I can keep it all straight without too much trouble."

Too bad. I've always been amazed when the wait staff can do it all by memory and not bork my order. [via The Food Section]

Related: The Ordering Game »