By now, you've probably heard of the woman who is on a mission to matrimony, by making 300 bread and toppings combinations, commonly known to us regular folks as sandwiches. If you haven't heard of this phenomenon and the reactions it produced, click definitely here, of course here, and maybe here, to get caught up. The culinary creations she's whipping up look awesome, and I'm certain that I'll be trying a few recipes. And she's publishing a book, which is cool. But like many, I'm left with a distinctly sour taste from this whole endeavor.
As progressive as I like to think I am, I'm still old fashioned, in some pretty basic ways. I think that all humans, who are not children under the age of 8, or disabled in some way should have certain skill-sets. Reading writing, 'rithmetic, cooking, cleaning, shopping, laundry, and banking should be in one's cache of abilities, to be well rounded. Some people have to overcome great obstacles in life just to be able to do these things. There's like a whole collective of people who paint masterpieces with their mouths or feet because their other limbs are unavailable. Let's not forget people like Helen Keller who had totally insurmountable odds, and still managed to kill the game of life. Surely the rest of us can learn basic life skills.
As archaic as it sounds I think all women should know how to cook. Period. You don't have to be Julia Child's or Chef Ramsey with knockers, but you need to be able to cook an egg and the occasional casserole or something. I'm not interested in being a stay-at-home-anything, but by and large I think there's some ability we have as women to make a home. I know, I sound like I stepped out the 50's. For the record, men need to be able to cook too, so they can quit routinely whoring themselves out for meals. Don't recoil fellas, if you're giving somebody some the night before and are expecting bacon and eggs left on the nightstand in the AM because you can't do it yourself, you're basically a prostitute. It's cool. I don't think any less of you, LOL and your categorical denial gives me a good laugh.
So, the sexism-sensitive sections of my psyche, realize that my earlier statements sound like a conflict. Being in the kitchen or home is not the only thing women can or should be doing. This woman is making sandwiches for her man and expanding her skills, that's not a fundamental issue for me. If we keep it all the way real, 90% of men want women in their lives to cook for them with some regularity. I'm not a man, obviously, but I want yell out "babe-make me a sandwich" sometimes, so I get it. But what doesn't work is the tone with which her excellent-cook-boyfriend proposed a challenge to her. The whole timbre of the conversation and her thoughts about it, is too much. According to her Intro on the 300 Sandwiches site, He really likes her to make him a sandwich once in a while. Once she does he says, "honey, you’re three hundred sandwiches away from an engagement ring."
It's a Rom-Com waiting to happen. Except the couple is bi-cultural so they will probably replace her with some girl from the CW going for her first film role. Though she describes the interaction as a joke ''between E and I'' but apparently, Honey took that seriously.
"That was it—a proposal hinged on me making him sandwiches. Sandwiches meant more to him than nice gifts, regular sex or any other incentive I could use to get him closer to putting a ring on it."
Like, seriously? I know I talked all that big traditional talk, but this just feels wrong. I'm all for having standards, for looking for preferential things in a potential lifetime mate. I get that. Maybe it was the number ''300.'' Maybe it was because before this sandwich business she mentions that she had been wondering about marriage and if their relationship was going to get there. Everybody's been there. Unless you already know and are in denial, in which case, run. It's probably safer for her to try to keep this guy and get him to the alter with sandwiches rather than sex and/or an unplanned pregnancy (don't front, women and men regularly pull the baby on board lever to manipulate relationships) But what feels false is, the idea that her weakest asset was the thing keeping her from a ring with this guy, rather than all the other awesome that she is, gaining it for her.
This whole deal is a bit top heavy.
He got excited enough to take their relationship somewhere else because she can perform a dramedy in 3 acts of sandwich making, and it feels woeful. I'm sure if he doesn't make good on his end, she can pack up her deli and move to the next. That isn't really a bad thing. Plus a bunch of people (me) will get some excellent food porn and signature pieces added to their own repertoires This girl will probably be cool, but there's gonna be some douchebag in another part of the planet who takes this thing to the max on their mate. It'll be like ''The Rules'' but with more pork sliders. And Idk, if I'm cool with that.
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