You will likely have less staining issues but you would see things like oil a lot more easily. The key to any natural counter top is sealing and caring for it properly. While you might not notice a drop of red wine here or there, you will likely notice oil and finger prints a lot more.

Thank you so much for your reply! I'm considering just doing a marble backsplash and something that require much less maintenance on the counter.

You might want to consider Caesarstone, it is much more durable and stain resistant.

Staining is not an issue with marble (or any stone for that matter) when the material is properly sealed!! There is an AMAZING sealer from http://www.drytreat.com.... I believe there is only one distributor in Toronto

Thanks ysdesignblog! Oil and fingerprints sounds like a bigger problem than staining since both are always part of the "goings on" in a kitchen. Thanks for your insight! Mary Ann