Egon, I suppose since okra is a plant that does well in hot climates, it just never caught on up north. I remember years ago when my mother-in-law came to visit from West Virginia, she said she'd never eaten okra or blackeyed peas until she visited us. She liked both. I once bought a couple of jars of pickled okra in a grocery store in Nebraska, but noticed on the label that it came from San Antonio, TX. [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img] It's common to see it on salad bars in restaurants around here.