I can't stand to write another word on the oil today and it looks like y'all have got Tuesday's primaries about analyzed to death, so I'm going to take a few grafs and talk about Mister Okra.
Nothing political about him, so if a slice of life ain't your thing right now, move along.
Mister Okra (his drivers license says "Arthur Robinson," but we know better) is a fixture around New Orleans. Bouncing along at a stately five miles per hour, his gaily decorated truck plies the neighborhoods of the city, his raspy voice badly amplified by a PA horn as he sings out his offerings.
"I have strawberries. I have oranges and bananas. I have cantaloupe."
Here's a short clip of him driving past the porch bragging on his peaches and plums.
Mister O hearkens back to a long tradition of street peddlers in the city, hawking produce, pralines and delicious calas. We love that Mister O carries on the tradition, and try to pick up something from him when he passes by, even if we've just gotten back from the grocery!
Sadly, Mister Okra's been off the streets for a few months, his truck more or less permanently beached down at R&S Auto at the foot of Bayou St. John (great shop, btw). He got it towed into the Jazz Fest, where he held court near the record tent, but the old bucket's just not interested in running again, despite Dr. Bob's painting on the cover of Offbeat Magazine, showing Mister O driving in the gate (and nearly running over Mr. Bingle and a Mardi Gras Indian).
That's why, Thursday night at the Frenchman Street club dba, Hutch Hutchinson and a bunch of other cool people are holding a benefit concert to get Mister O out of that old Ford bucket and into a new ride. The lineup will include a rare reunion performance by neighborhood forces of nature, the Morning 40 Federation. For those who can't make the gig, you may donate directly to Mister O's new wheels at the Nom de Guerre Films site.
What? Film site? What's up with that?
Surely, you're hep enough to know that the short doc on Mister O is already a huge hit, taking prizes at film festivals across the land? Showing Cannes this week? Yeah, that Mister Okra. Here's a little of the screen phenom in action:
So, will fame and fortune spoil Mister O? Nah, all he wants is to get into a truck and get back on the streets of New Orleans, bringing the fresh produce. With a little help from his friends, that time may be soon.
Don't worry. I'm pretty sure Mister Okra's new truck will sport the same festive, eye-popping folk art adverts as the old model. As for the old ride, the Southern Museum of Food and Beverage is interested in buying it for permanent display.
Mr. Okra's presence on the streets of downtown goes deeper than just a neighborhood curiosity. To foodways historians, he's a living link to New Orleans' long tradition of produce vendors who peddled their wares from horse-drawn carts and later, trucks, door-to-door in the city streets. Once a new vehicle is purchased, the Southern Food and Beverage Museum hopes to acquire the old truck.
"We're very interested, " said SoFAB president Elizabeth Williams. "Not only do we want the truck, but we want to have the artifact represent the whole story of Mr. Okra, and his connection to all the vegetable vendors."