How interesting! I get no bitterness whatsoever from celery, I'd even describe it as sweet.

I like celery too.

Celery has evil anise flavor. I can't stand it in anything.

Fennel has an anise flavor (and looks like celery), but I have never noticed an anise flavor in celery.

I like celery plain with just a little salt, or as a cream cheese delivery system. I also like it cooked in chicken soup, use it when I'm making stock, and this one chicken dish I make. I will take Beverly's cooked celery.

I love peanut butter, but I do not like putting it on things like celery and apples. I put it on bread and on chocolate, or bake it into cookies, as God intended.

You may have my cooked celery, Cindy. I pick out the solids, once the dish is finished. Cooked celery "solids" are...um. Off-putting. The flavor, though, is wonderful. We do the same with onion solids. H either purees onion before he adds it to things--actually I prefer he halves the onion if possible and then removes the solids from my serving. I react horribly to onion solids, though I can get away with foods flavored with onion. Celery doesn't provoke a physical reaction but it's still very unpleasant cooked.

I don't particularly mind celery, but iceberg lettuce is a styrofoam abomination, and should be banished.

Agreed.

At last, an opinion that brings us all together.

...I'm very fond of Iceberg lettuce.

Iceberg lettuce has a place- with tuna salad or bleu cheese. I also like cooked celery, and even cream of celery soup, but I do not care for fennel/anise.

I also am a weirdo, because I prefer most vegetables cooked or wilted, included lettuce (except the aforementioned iceberg with tuna salad), In general I just prefer warm food-- I used to nuke potato and macaroni salads because I just wanted them warm.

I love a really crisp crunchy piece of iceberg lettuce on a cheeseburger just off the grill.