What is your kitchen like?

A recent trip to Mexico highlighted to me the cultural differences in homes.  The homes that we visited often had the kitchen tucked away in a corner of the home meant not to be a focal point of the home rather a place to cook delicious meals.  Often there was a door to the kitchen to be able to separate the kitchen when entertaining people.

I’ve also overheard recent conversations in our office about people looking to purchase their home.  The prospective buyer wanted the kitchen in a certain part of the home for cultural reasons.

It seems that there are a lot of nuances about kitchens.  As a person that enjoys cooking, the kitchen is one of the rooms that I notice when shopping for a home and also when visiting other homes.

What is your kitchen like?  What do you like most?  Least?