Huffington Post featured an interesting article today regarding the most polarizing foods in America. What are some of the foods that you love that other people can’t stand? Find out if they made the list…

As an ardent admirer of Mexican and Thai cuisine, it really surprises me that cilantro is reviled by a seemingly large segment of the population. Who are these people? Thankfully there aren’t many of them in my circle of friends, because I can put this indelibly fresh-tasting herb on just about anything at any time of day, from breakfast omelettes to ice cream. The fact is, that many people have a physiological aversion to cilantro as it brings a pungent soapiness to their palate. Such tortured souls. Can you imagine having guacamole or pico de gallo without it? The more I think about it, the more I realize that if you aren’t down with cilantro, I don’t think we can hang out–at least not in the Mission.

Celery is another prominent polarizer, and for this particularly stringy vegetable, I take a firm stand against. People are often surprised that I am so vehemently anti-celery, claiming that it’s such an innocuous addition to soups and salads. Do these people lack taste buds? Celery has such an overpowering flavor that when present (God knows why) in some of my otherwise most favorite foods–like stuffing or Lobster Rolls–it’s literally impossible for me to taste anything else. As far as I’m concerned, the dark and twisted soul who invented Cel-Ray soda should suffer a fate worse than death.

Bay Area legend, Jerry Garcia famously remarked that his band, The Grateful Dead, were like licorice, another famously divisive confection. “Not everybody likes licorice,” Garcia noted, “But the people who like licorice really like licorice.’ Personally, I can’t stand licorice but I love The Grateful Dead. Go figure.

A few notable omissions from the HuffPo list include foie gras–adored by many and abhorred enough to actually be banned come July of this year, cheladas–the ungodly amalgam of Budweiser and Clamato, and sweetbreads–seared cow pancreas that is hailed as a delicacy by some and induces nausea for others.

And by the way: if you like cottage cheese, you’re dead to me.

Check out Huffington Post’s complete list and let us know what you think is missing. What foods do you love to hate or getting hated for loving?

• Tag: cilantro, foie gras, foods, huffington post, licorice, polarizing, popular, unpopular