The Dalai Lama once said “judge your success by what you had to give up in order to achieve it.”
By this criterion, Okra is the single most successful vegetable on the planet: It has given up taste, vibrancy, texture and overall goodwill.
In fact, it is so successful that it transcends recognition at all major grocery chains. Ask any grocer where to find Okra, a pungent green native to Africa, and he or she will silently abscond from the scene.
If you do manage to find Okra, the situation at the till will be further stained with ardour.
The cashier will ask: “What is this?”
You will reply: “Okra.”
The cashier will then page four staff to till #8 to look-up the vegetable’s code. Trouble increases when the code is no longer in the produce directory.
All evidence of Okra has been deleted.
You will leave the store wondering if this pentagonal putrefaction was just a figment of your imagination.
If this is the definition of success, the Dalai Lama would likely encourage you to fail.
