Films We Like: Mr. Okra

Take a minute to enjoy this trailer for Mr. Okra, a 10-minute short film from Nom de Guerre Films that I discovered this morning. The film follows Mr. Okra (aka Arthur Robinson), a New Orleans man who sells fresh fruit and veggies from the back of a truck.

From the film synopsis:

"In a city known for its music and food…and its characters, Mr. Okra travels the back streets of the Bywater, Tremé and 9th ward, selling his vegetables from his iconic truck…one okra at a time.  His unique promotion has made him a fixture in New Orleans and an integral part of the fabric of this community."

As Mr. Okra explains in the film, "Ain't no use to cookin if you ain't gonna cook with fresh food."

-Mark

Local Seafood Still Available in New Orleans

This is the line we waited in at 6pm yesterday to get into the Acme Oyster House in downtown New Orleans. For now, local seafood is still available in the area (thankfully). I've heard that crab is becoming scarce in places, and wholesale seafood prices are rising because of an offshore fishing ban around the oil spill, but local oysters, crawfish, and other seafood specialties are still on the menu.

For dinner last night, we feasted on fried oysters, seafood gumbo, jambalaya, and hush puppies. Certainly not the healthiest food, but impossible to pass up when you're in New Orleans.

-Mark

Flip Clip: Update from New Orleans, LA

First thing this morning, we headed out to the marshlands of Biloxi to interview The Nature Conservancy field rep Mike Murphy about the oil spill in the Gulf Coast. We haven't gotten acclimated to the heat (85-90 degrees) and humidity of the Gulf Coast yet, but our equipment has been having an even harder time adapting: As soon as we stepped out of the car, the video camera shut down, citing condensation overload.

We were able to film the interview eventually, using backup cameras, and we learned (first-hand) that southeasterly winds were kicking up, bringing oil towards the Barrier Islands off Louisiana. That hasn't affected the Mississippi coast much for the time being, but Murphy and other enviros are particularly concerned about coastal wetlands, which are the spawning grounds for much of the wildlife in the area.

We asked Murphy about the booms that TNC is using to contain the oil. He said that while they're useful, wind and waves can easily push oil over the barriers. Later, my dad (also a TNC member) told me about special "sea-grade" oil booms that have curtains extending down into the water to more effectively intercept oil. Those sound like a good tool for protecting coastal wetlands, but unfortunately there currently aren't many available.

Here are a couple of photos I took this afternoon. Stay tuned for the video.

-Mark