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[V-Adore]

Pod.  It's a pod of okra.

Thanks, August. I knew you or one of the many other southerners on this board would come to my rescue on this one.

[JorgeFabregas]

Living in Chicago, frozen okra is available at every grocery store unless there is a run (this happened once, I couldn't explain it).

I don't think that this is because Chicago is Northern Mississippi--in my mind, this type of thing is pretty common most places.

[wombat]

V, that is the best okra story ever. (And I don't at all mean that in a way which is snidely implying that that's no big deal because of how few okra stories there are in the world, or anything.)

[Lister]

Though fried okra is pretty good, I too find it difficult to consume when it is not part of gumbo or other soup type conveyances.  I basically only buy it as a portion of the frozen gumbo vegetable mix that I keep on hand.

Incidentally, I love having frozen vegetable mixes around.  Between that and my stockpile of stocks, I can have a decent soup going in under 20 minutes.  It isn't as good as one made with fresh in-season ingredients, but it also doesn't take all damn day.

So, go modern technology, I guess.

[Choop]

Here's the best way I've ever had okra prepared, and I tend to enjoy it but not overmuch. The missus and I were fighting for the last couple pieces at this dinner. I'm pretty sure this recipe requires just about the freshest, perfectest okra pods that ever did exist.

Heat an iron skillet over high heat.
Split the pods lengthwise.
Put the pods face-down in the pan and leave them alone for a minute, then jiggle them around by shaking the pan. If they don't move, you've waited too long and burnt them. If they slide too freely, they aren't done.
Flip one over, and it should be caramelized but not burnt.
Remove the okra from the pan.
Serve.

Sounds simple, right? It is, and that's the beauty. That slime inside the pod mostly cooks off or caramelizes, and you're left with just the fresh taste of the okra.

[side_show]

Yeesh... I go away for the weekend, and the thread turns all okra on me...

Okay, so I went to the African grocery that usually stocks the okra, and they were all out of it.  Also, fried okra sort of defeats the purpose of eating okra to be healthy, doesn't it?  Also, V, very cute about your mom.  I once went to a spice place, and was very excited to see that they had lots of spices I couldn't find anywhere else, so I took tiny portions in tiny baggies provide.  I had about a dozen tiny bags, went to the cashier when I realized I only had my bank card.  He weighed my tiny bags and in total they came to $1.01.  I apologized as I paid with my bank card, and he too looked at me in such a way as to let me know I'd failed at this basic human interaction.   

When it comes to the health, I am down two more pounds.  I am also super sore from yard work, but so be it.

[V-Adore]

Also, V, very cute about your mom.  I once went to a spice place, and was very excited to see that they had lots of spices I couldn't find anywhere else, so I took tiny portions in tiny baggies provide.  I had about a dozen tiny bags, went to the cashier when I realized I only had my bank card.  He weighed my tiny bags and in total they came to $1.01.  I apologized as I paid with my bank card, and he too looked at me in such a way as to let me know I'd failed at this basic human interaction.   

Ironically, this is another lesson that I learned from my mother: if it's less than $10, you should be ashamed of paying for it with a check. This doesn't necessarily mean that you won't, just that you should be ashamed of doing so. Credit cards are also right out, unless you're in a situation (you are a poor college student, or in an airport, or a poor college student in an airport) where you are buying something immediately important and have no other option.

Er, not to make this a thread about my mother's weird supermarket behavior. It just, you know, seemed apropos at the time. Carry on!

[jough]

Credit cards are faster than cash now.  No counting, no change, and you can swipe your card WHILE the cashier is ringing up your order.

I always use a CC at supermarkets, and it's always faster than cash.

Your mother is just wrong.

[theinevitable]

Jough-- you can do that-- unless you're shopping at Bi-Lo. our machines flip out when people do that. I actually have to type the amount in, then hit the credit button, before people swipe their cards. People get so annoyed by this. Everyone is Pat in this situation.

a-so: if they want "cash-back" from their debit card, they have to tell me. and then there is no way to easily add it, I have to do it in my head. It isn't a problem until I make a mistake and some little old lady is mad that I withdrew 10 dollars instead of the 20 she wanted.

[KeithHernandez]

It can't be that hard to add 20 on to something.


I'll give you an example:    4,987.5+20= 5,007.5

[jough]

Seriously, dude. Your generation makes us very very afraid.

[wombat]

I used to obey V's mom's rule too.  But now at our Whole Foods, if the order is under like 20 or 30 dollars I forget which,  you do not sign when you use your credit card.  Just swipe it and go. So now it's so much faster than cash that I actually feel bad if I use cash.

I do try not to use my credit card in independent stores and restaurants when I can help it, since it costs them money.  But the hell with a big conglomerate like Whole Foods.

[robot_god]

I once charged a two dollar meal at Wendy's with plenty of cash my pocket.



Tell your children not to walk my way.

[jough]

I use my card at the concession stand in movie theatres.

[theinevitable]

I am not saying that it is hard to add 20. what i'm saying is that once in a great while, I make a mistake. I'm sorry, I suck at math. It is not "my generation." It is just me. A dude who sucks at math. And is known to make mistakes. you're talking about the same guy who can't remember the 4-digit codes for vegetables.

THE ONLY PERSON WHO IS A SLOWER CASHIER THAN ME IS LITERALLY RETARDED.

I'm the guy who sucks. at being a cashier.