300 sandwiches
Stephanie Smith, a reporter for Page Six in the New York Post, is making 300 sandwiches for her boyfriend, Eric, so that he will propose to her. New York Post

Stephanie Smith, a reporter for the New York Post’s Page Six gossip section, has revealed herself as the person behind 300sandwiches.com, a blog dedicated to one woman’s mission to make 300 sandwiches for her boyfriend so that he will propose to her.

According to the story published today in the Post, Smith, who is in her mid-30s, says her boyfriend, Eric, equates sandwiches with “kisses or hugs. Or sex.”

Smith wrote that Eric would constantly ask her to make him a sandwich in the morning when their relationship grew serious. “You’ve been up for 15 minutes and you haven’t made me a sandwich?” he asked.

“One lazy summer afternoon just over a year ago, I finally gave in,” Smith wrote. “I assembled turkey and Swiss on toasted wheat bread. I spread Dijon mustard generously on both bread slices, and I made sure the lettuce was perfectly in line with the neatly stacked turkey slices.”

Smith’s boyfriend eagerly ate up the sandwich. “As he finished that last bite, he made an unexpected declaration of how much he loved me and that sandwich: ‘Honey, you’re 300 sandwiches away from an engagement ring!’” Smith wrote.

Smith says that event was the impetus behind her blog, 300 Sandwiches. “Maybe I needed to show him I could cook to prove that I am wife material,” she wrote. “If he wanted 300 sandwiches, I’d give him 300 sandwiches -- and I’d blog about it.”

Since June 17, 2012, Smith has made 176 sandwiches, ranging from turkey and swiss on country white to a "thirty second" blackberry ginger ice cream sandwich, and anything in between. She started out making basic sandwiches, but her recipes have grown increasingly complex. Her most recent sandwich, made on Sept. 24, is a "Third Time's A Charm" Roasted Chicken, Sweet Potato Mash and Swish Chard Leftovers, according to her blog.

Smith has made sandwiches for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. She says the experience has brought her and Eric closer together. “He enjoys going to the grocery store with me, picking out ingredients and planning dinners,” Smith wrote. “Though I still want to get engaged and get married and live happily ever after, I’ve also put less pressure on the race to the 300th sandwich and I’m enjoying the cooking experience with Eric.”

The piece in the Post generated a range of reactions, from supportive to highly critical.

“So what exactly is Eric doing to ensure that you are willing to marry him when he does engage, or is the entire relationship all about his needs?” one person commented. “Joking or not the kind of mind that can say things like ‘You've been up for fifteen minutes and haven't made me a sandwich’ or ‘you are 300 sandwiches away from an engagement ring’ without embarrassment is quite disturbing. I think you are mistaking his misogyny with cuteness.”

“Man, the fun police are out in full force today,” another person commented. “It was obviously playful teasing. It seems like they're having fun in their relationship and the woman made a mildly interesting blog out of one aspect of it.”