Bulging at Sadie's

The District 7 gang at the NCMPR conference funneled onto a tour bus and headed north through the quiet and poor neighborhoods of suburban Albuquerque. Small houses, some adobe some not, lined the subdued streets complete with barren looking yards and late model vehicles. The group consisted of members from Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, British Columbia and lonely ole me from Alberta, a lively and collegial bunch. Our destination on Day #2 of the national gathering was Sadies, a restaurant renowned for its authentic "New Mexican" cuisine.

There were 20 of us in total, gathered in one long row of tables, surrounded by hundreds of other patrons and a Mexican brass band playing on a small stage just around the corner. Heaps of tortillas accompanied by hot salsa were soon joined by mounds of guacamole and zippy cheese sauce. Then, they started passing around a mountainous plate of nachos drizzled with beef, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and jalapenos.

By the time our entrees showed up I was already full, now staring at my overflowing plate of Sadie's Stuffed Sopaipilla. Around the perimeter of the table the reaction to the gargantuan portions was ubiquitous.

"Holy crap," said Jennifer across the table, an assistant marketing manager from Portland Community College.

As shock and awe faded, twenty sets of mouths set forth on the last and most difficult leg of this gormandizing adventure.

"I can't imagine what their food costs must be," pondered Amy Grant, a marketing assistant from Douglas College in New Westminster.

"I suspect their food has got to be pretty cheap when they're dishing it out like this," I answered.

More than satiated, we bobbled back on the bus and headed home to the Hyatt Regency for some rest and recovery time having had our fill of authentic New Mexican cuisine for the day, possibly a lifetime.

March 15, 2010 - weight and body fat % n/a