I don't have any first-hand knowledge of frying okra; I was only passing along what I've heard from others. (I was privy to a long message-board discussion of various vegetables about a year ago, as part of a technical writers' group dedicated to goofing off and discussing just about everything *except* technical writing. Quite a few respondants who had grown up in the South had fond memories of Momma's fried okra.)
We use okra pretty much exclusively for gumbo. When I first moved to Lousiana about 30 years ago, I had very limited experience eating okra and found it pretty disgusting. After my fist bowl of turkey and oyster gumbo, I had a quick change of heart about the slimy vegetable.