Lubić vs. Podobać. What's the Essential Difference?

Here we have two commonly used Polish verbs that must be learned early in the study of the Polish language. Neither are irregular and though they are of different verb classes, both follow the same conjugation rules as other regular verbs.

Basically, both these verbs mean 'to like' something or someone. Or at least that is how tools such as Google Translate will translate both and this can lead to great confusion until one understands the essential difference between them.  

Lubić is a straightforward verb with straightforward conjugation. In use there is absolutely nothing unusual about it and it presents little in the way of difficulty. 

For instance ~ Ja lubię = I like. Ty lubisz = you like. On/ona/ono lubi = he/she/it likes, and so on.

So to say, 'I like you' or 'you like me' and 'I like him/her/it' does not run into any conflict with English word order  ~

Ja lubię cię = I like you. Ty lubisz mnie = you like me. Ona lubi to = She likes it, and so on.

But, podabać is different. It does not function in quite the same way and is almost always paired with the reflexive 'się' and here is where the confusion starts ~

Teraz widzę, czemu podobasz się Joe.

I can certainly see why Joe likes you.

If you take podobać as meaning 'to like' then the above sentence seems to make no sense at all in translation, and yet it is perfectly correct. It seems to mean 'I can certainly see why you like Joe' doesn't it?

It gets really weird when you consider the following ~

Podobam ci się = You like me. Podobasz mi się = I like you.

What? Surely that should be ~

Podobam ci się = I like you. Podobasz mi się = You like me. 

Now we have serious conflict, because this just makes no sense at all to the English mind. It's all topsy turwy with meanings tripping all over each other in an unruly fight to establish common sense.

Who the hell is liking who?

However, when you discover that podobać does not actually mean, 'to like', but rather, 'to please', then it all makes perfect logical sense.

Podobam ci się = I please you.  Hence in translation, 'You like me'.

Podobasz mi się = You please me. Hence in translation, 'I like you.

Simple!

The other essential difference is that lubić means to like something for what it is. I like food, I like cars, I like girls, etc. Podobać means to like the way something or someone looks ~

Podobam ci się = You fancy me'.

Podobasz mi się = I fancy you.

As for 'się', well, that can wait for another day because at the moment, I just don't get it!