" It's Not Fair What They Say About Okra" : "Southerners can see, first of all, that okra is a good-looking vegetable, one that bolts from creamy-gold flower to perfect two-inch pod in three to four days. Whole pods are simply cute. Okra slices, on the other hand, are beautiful bands of green around a floral inlay of seeds."

What a great article! Nothing is missed about the treasured okra pod, including that the vegetable pickles like a dream. Okra seems so very Southern, but in fact it is beloved in Eastern African countries and, I know this for a fact, Greece. What an international flair! What green, scratchy goodness!

So the viscous gel and the slimy seeds are also examined. Sure, the texture of the plant is not ideal. But what is? The hard, rubbery zucchini? The slippery, sandy spinach? I can't think of any vegetable - or fruit, really, that doesn't have something disquieting about their constitution. Ok, maybe a banana.

I love the okra, though, saliva-like innards and all. My favorite way to cook it is with tomatoes, Greek-style, with a bay leaf, garlic and olive oil, and oregano. There is a Georgia gumbo that is good too: okra, corn, tomatoes, celery, onion, vinegar, sugar. That's it, and that's all good. I do enjoy a fried okra, even burnt little kernels like my mom makes. The pickled okra is divine; a Thanksgiving relish tray is not complete without it.

O.K. Okra! Do they need someone to take on the marketing?