Mr. Okra is the Original New Orleans Food Trucker

In this week's edition of the Gambit, resident food-whisperer Ian McNulty has a quick chat with New Orleans' analog food truck operator, Arthur "Mr. Okra" Robinson, whose produce catcalls echo along the streets of New Orleans neighborhoods at that critical moment of late afternoon inertia when the city's in the greatest danger of napping.

McNulty, who describes Robinson's trademark voice as a "deep, bullfrog baritone," reminds readers that the produce purveyor will celebrate his 69th birthday June 9th with a public party at the Bywater's B.J. Lounge. In other words, you'd better get Mr. Okra something nice, people who routinely listen to his croaking litany of vegetables, because he's been in the food truck racket for quite some time, ever since inheriting the Mr. Okra mantle from his father, the original Mr. Okra. As for the threat of copycats, Robinson assures McNulty that any potential competitors would simply be the Pepsi to his Coke?not nearly as good.

?Doug Barry

· Arthur "Mr. Okra" Robinson [Gambit]