After a weekend’s worth of hot sauces and other spicy fare, I am somehow still recovering a bit from this past weekend’s festivities. It’s not that anything in particular was overly stressful, but between all the travel, eating, and shmoozing…I am still just plain tired.

Above you can see a horseradish root. I publish this as a reminder that the horseradish eating contest just about ruined me for the better part of a calendar day. The spicy-hot horseradish from Bald Eagle Foods was part of a contest of eating 10 spoonfuls of horseradish in rapid succession. After the first spoonful when my eyeballs had melted and my sinuses were seared, I realized the extent of my folly. I was only able to eat 5 1/2 spoonfuls during the contest, and that was more than enough to give me stomach cramps that I never knew that horseradish could do.

All in all, there is much to be said about the show. Lots of pictures and stories, many of which to follow over the next week or so. Passow and I have some good stuff to share, so stay tuned for that!