Okra versus me!

'By and large, during my lifetime, I have generally ignored vegetables except a very few. The ones I have left alone are usually full of seeds, really 'seedy' variety. You see, I have really nothing against vegetables as long as they are not forced on me by misguided hosts who in their zeal misunderstand that I am being formal or shy on the dinner table. Nothing like that, I can navigate my way to my favourite dishes, mostly nonvegetarian, which are so easy to spot, whether at home or at a buffet outside. Vegetables, I know are very good for health. At the same time, let me confide that I have no major health issues!

This post is about my battle with one particular vegetable called okra which is supposed to be a delicacy, at least by my son in law, Neeraj who simply loves it. As for me, it is too full of seeds for my liking and avoidable. Okra, also called ladies fingers or plain bhindi in Hindi, (rhyming so well) has been my nemesis. I had survived without it, rather thrived, till Neeraj arrived on the scene!

Soon after Neeraj and our daughter Savita got married in Pune, they spent a few days with us. The very second day, I went out to buy some groceries including vegetables and Neeraj accompanied me. At the vegetable shop, he suggested that we buy some okra. So I asked the vendor to pack half a pound of the stuff. Only half a pound, Neeraj remarked! And then, he told the guy to make it two pounds, that is one full kg!

Now we all know Neeraj who is such a fine guy! I have very high regard for him. But that morning when he quadrupled the amount of okra which I had to buy, well, it set me thinking about him! How can he like okra so much, I wondered but kept quiet like a good father in law in the famous Woodhousian tales. We returned home after a while with the vegetables and a bit of gloom in my heart. I was already visualising the dining table loaded with dishes of okra. My wife was thrilled to see that her favourite vegetable okra was there in the bag. And she easily guessed who was behind this coup. From then on, she and our son in law really bonded if that is the right word as I watched from the sidelines. For the next fifteen minutes, they discussed various dishes of okra and the best way to make them. As if there was nothing else to talk about in this whole wide world! I also realised that Neeraj was an ardent chef, loved to cook. So they became natural allies in the kitchen. I was truly sidelined and excluded from this divine world in the kitchen where all that mattered was okra! Soon, Savita and Neeraj left for their new home in US. But not before they had firmly planted this seed of okra in our kitchen!

As years went by, my interaction with okra became more frequent due to our regular visits to Neeraj and Savita. I have improved a lot in this respect;I no longer get depressed with this item. In fact, I make it a point to buy some whenever I go out to buy vegetables. And I actually eat it without making faces. My wife is happy and our son in law is happier. He has 'converted' me to his okra ways! 

But this has led to a peculiar situation. Now friends and family are under a misconception. They think I love bhindi, I mean okra. The other day, we were invited to lunch at a friend's house. He called me on the phone and insisted that we must join them. He exulted, 'you just can not afford to miss what my wife has specially cooked for you! Your most favourite vegetable'!

Please do not ask me to name it!