One of my cats learned to bump the faucet lever on the kitchen sink when he wanted a drink. Fortunately the sink only overflowed twice but that was enough to make me very serious about not leaving dishes in the sink.
Also _Against a Dark Background_ by Iain M. Banks. It describes a very, very old civilization with no stars close enough to even think about interstellar travel.
I'm also opposite from you. I quite like celery but even the smell of brussels sprout makes me ill.
I attribute my dislike of many vegetables (b. sprout, okra, asparagus, broccoli) to how my middle- and high-school cafeterias always overcooked them into a wretched goo. I've developed a taste for some of these later in life when properly cooked but sprouts and okra are still inedible.