I didn't want to hijack another thread for this so:

Counters should be next to your fridge (to get stuff out), next to the
range, and on both sides of the sink. A countertop on an island in
isolation is an indication that the design of the kitchen was
inefficient from the very beginning. Efficient planning of countertop
space would expand on the necessary basic service areas, rather than
place the extra space in isolation. Ideally, the biggest countertop
space should be contiguous with the sink for easy clean-up.

So, no I don't think that people come to hate kitchen islands just
because they are put in kitchens that are too small, or just because
they obstruct foot traffic.