That's an interesting example of the power of the feed-forward branch in the memory-percpetion loop.

I remember having the same negative association with cauliflower, although not as strong as yours: could it be because of the strong sulphurous smell? Or the very bland taste and consistency? Surely the coupling of these two factors doesn't help.

I remember my negative association dissolved one day when I tried deep fried cauliflower, they tasted delicious. Only a lot later I would discover the equally delicious pickled caulis.

Culinary wise, the bland taste is perfect to carry over the salty taste of the batter when deep fried or the acidic taste when pickled.