Amazing Okra

East Coast Trip Part 3

One of the great things about traveling is the opportunity to try new foods. Like pickled okra.

I had tried okra a couple of times, mainly in Indian food, and not enjoyed it. It's a texture thing. I find it slimy, like when I cook nopales (which I do very badly).

So when our friends Bill and Ramsay in Arlington, VA, encouraged me to try an okra pickle, I was dubious. Ramsay understood. She did not grow up eating okra either. Bill, who hails from New Orleans, introduced her to it. And she assured me that okra pickles are crunchy, not slimy.

Well, I will try anything vegetarian once, as long as no one is offended if I spit it out, so I tried an okra pickle. And it was good. Crunchy. Like a dill pickle.

I don't know how many health benefits are retained when okra is pickled, but even if it's just a few, it's worth eating. It helps the body cope with trans fats; it slows the absorption of sugar; it feeds the good bacteria in the intestines; it binds cholesterol; and in Kami, Japan, the elderly attribute their youthful appearance to it.

All the more reason to eat okra. I'm going to stick to the pickled version, which, here in Los Angeles, I'll probably have to make myself.