During our last trip to the Serramonte Farmers' Market, Hungry Bear and I picked up the freshest produce we could find for a light and simple sauté. The corn looked fantastic and the cherry tomatoes were super sweet. Hungry Bear told me that she had never cooked with okra, which surprised me, so that was a must get. The end result of our market bounty was this veggie sauté.

Which brings me to my childhood okra story... one summer while I was in elementary school my dad decided to do some gardening. At that point, my family had been in the States for only 5-6 years and we were still living in an apartment complex in Allentown, PA. So, my dad rented a tiny plot at a community garden. The only things I clearly remember him planting were okra and tomatoes, but I'm sure there were Vietnamese vegetables that we couldn't get at the local Acme supermarket.

These days, I would love to have a garden with fresh vegetables, but back then my brother and I hated going to the garden with Dad to pull weeds and water the plants. At that age, given the choice between gardening or riding our BMX bikes, there was only one good option. But we had to help Dad out and he grew a ton of okra and tomatoes. At first the okra was great, but by the end of summer, I was sick and tired of it. I didn't want to eat okra ever again.

To add insult to injury, some kids in the apt complex made fun of my parents for growing their own vegetables, saying we had to because we couldn't afford to buy vegetables at the store... whatever. It annoyed me because I was trying to fit in with the American kids in the neighborhood. I was thankful the next summer when Dad decided to not garden again because it was too much work at the time. It meant no more okra and no teasing from the kids in the complex.

Flash forward 25+ years, I love okra and the idea of a garden with fresh vegetables sounds fantastic! To the kids who made fun of my family, all I have to say to you is... how do ya like my okra now?!?!

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