Yup, properly cooked veggies are awesome.

But, children's taste buds are different from adults. Iirc they taste things more strongly, so the bitter notes are more pronounced.

Also, they've been breeding stuff like brussel sprouts to be less bitter for a while now, so veggies might actually taste better than when we were kids.

I didn't even think you could do that to asparagus. That's seriously demonic.

Same with Brussel sprout. My step-dad would boil them. Tastes like a soggy sulfur fart. But cut them in half, toss them in a bit of oil, salt and pepper, roast them until crispy in the oven with, and they're delicious. Oddly sweet, even. Try with other seasonings to enhance further.

Blanche and shock are the only way I actually like asparagus.

I can tolerate a baked or sauteed spear, but the margin for error is too damned small, and either side of it makes it unpalatable.

boiled (or steamed) white asparagus is quite good, but green asparagus, yeah you should absolutely roast that instead

I dunno about asparagus, but it turns out the Brussel sprouts we ate as kids were bitter and didn't taste as good as the ones they sell now. But yeah, with asparagus, you gotta broil those bad boys with garlic/olive oil, etc

I love steamed (not boiled) asparagus. Though for most of my life, vegetables were just a vehicle for butter and salt. I’ve pulled way back on how much I use in recent years.

My buddy makes the most delicious grilled asparagus. He’s a real pro and it’s a treat to bbq with him.

Yeah boiled here too. I liked it sorta but discovered much later that roasted is way better.

Same thing with Brussels sprouts. Don't boil. Toss in salt, pepper, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar, bake at like 425 for 20 minutes, you're welcome