But if your man is refusing to pop the question, one contemporary legend says fight fire with fire. Or more appropriately: fight chicken with chicken.
Not a live chicken, but a cooked one. And it's not just any cooked chicken; it has to be Engagement Chicken.
"Engagement Chicken? Never before, but it sounds good the way you're saying it," said Joe Angeles from downtown L.A.
Engagement Chicken is a recipe developed more than 30 years ago. A woman working at Glamour Magazine served it to her commitment-phobic boyfriend who soon-after proposed.
When three other women at the magazine served the chicken - and all three received proposals- the legend was born.
Now women all across the country are claiming Engagement Chicken success.
"Guys are always into food," said Pasadena resident Stephanie Chu. "If you're really a good cook, you do have some advantage other than just being pretty."
Now if you're a lousy cook fear not. Chef Anne Mooney says it's a no brainer. One ingredient not mentioned though is a healthy dose of optimism.
"If you believe it strong enough, you can make it come true," said Pasadena resident Brenda Rodriguez. "If you believe in this chicken it will work."
But now the secrets out and all those guys out there may be thinking twice about where that next chicken meal served to them will take them.
So is Engagement Chicken a recipe for love or a half-baked myth? It's food for thought.
The recipe promises to deliver a delicious, tasty bird. Good for anyone who appreciates a delicious dish, regardless of whether you're trying to get someone to commit.
