It's one of those dishes that tends to be, as pastafreak has indicated. a southern U.S. institution. Having said that, I'm puzzeled by the criticism of the dish being "slimey". Perhaps ya'll are preparing it quite differnetly than the born and bred Southerners do, since it's quite dry when prepared according to the following simple recipe:
6 cups oil, for frying
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons seasoning, (recipe follows)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 pounds fresh okra, sliced 1/2-inch thick
1/2 cup buttermilk
Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven to 350 degrees F. (You may not need to use this much oil; do not fill the pan more than halfway up the sides with oil.)
In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, seasoning, and cayenne pepper. Dip okra in buttermilk and then dredge in cornmeal-flour mixture to coat well. Carefully add okra to the hot oil and cook until golden brown. (It may be necessary to fry the okra in batches.) Remove from oil, drain on paper towels, and then serve immediately.
Seasoning:
1/2 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder
A note: I've mentioned the use of cornmeal here before and it seems ya'll confuse it with "corn flour" which it isn't. The largest provider of cornmeal here in the U.S. is the Quaker company, which may have it in the U.K. The yellow variety is best...