Green Eggs and Ham Quotes
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Source: Green Eggs and Ham
Author: Dr. Seuss
I do not like them in a box. I do not like them with a fox.
Context
This line is from the book Green Eggs and Ham, by Dr. Seuss (1960).
Green Eggs and Ham centers around the attempts of one Sam-I-Am to get another character (we call him "the Big Guy") to eat green eggs and ham despite the Big Guy's protests that he does not like them and will not eat them in a wide variety of improbable circumstances. In a box with a fox is one of these situations.
Where you've heard it
All Dr. Seuss rhymes are catchy, but this is one of the catchier ones. Plus it's just a great image. So you may hear this line referenced whenever someone adamantly does not want to do or eat something that's offered.
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
Is this a pretentious thing to say at a dinner party? Not really. Rude, maybe. Come on. If your host offers you green eggs and ham, remember your manners and try just a little. And then double-check the symptoms of food poisoning.