--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Here, open wide and let it slide,” he…" description: "\"“Here, open wide and let it slide,” he said, tilting a half-shell into Ben’s mouth. The oyster hit Ben’s mouth. It felt warm, salty, and had the consis..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/feb/pat-conroy-768_oyster_here-open-wide-and-let-it-slide-he-said_2707100.jpg" --- # Here, open wide and let it slide,” he said, tilting a… ![“Here, open wide and let it slide,” he said, tilting a half-shell into Ben’s mouth. The oyster hit Ben’s mouth. It felt warm, salty, and had the consistency of loose phlegm. For a moment, Ben thought he was going to vomit. Somehow, he got the animal down his throat.” quote by Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/feb/pat-conroy-768_oyster_here-open-wide-and-let-it-slide-he-said_2707100.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/feb/pat-conroy-768_oyster_here-open-wide-and-let-it-slide-he-said_2707100.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/feb/pat-conroy-768_oyster_here-open-wide-and-let-it-slide-he-said_2707100.jpg) > ““Here, open wide and let it slide,” he said, tilting a half-shell into Ben’s mouth. The oyster hit Ben’s mouth. It felt warm, salty, and had the consistency of loose phlegm. For a moment, Ben thought he was going to vomit. Somehow, he got the animal down his throat.”” [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A vivid, unsettling culinary experience forces the narrator to confront discomfort and persist despite revulsion. **In simple terms:** A strange food experience tests perseverance. Key Takeaway Face discomfort to grow. Themes experience food discomfort perseverance Mood uneasy introspective Type literary narrative When to use this quote - travel - culinary adventures - personal challenges Key Concepts sensory perception personal growth Questions to Reflect On - What does this reveal about confronting the unknown? - How can we turn aversion into curiosity? A Different Perspective Discomfort may deter future attempts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“I'm going to be sick. I'm going to vomit that weird eggplant tapenade I had for dinner, and everyone will hear, and no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-perkins/i-m-going-to-be-sick-i-m-going-to-vomit-that-weird-eggplant-tapenade/) [Stephanie Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-perkins/) > [If I read the word 'problematize' one more time, I'm going to vomit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/if-i-read-the-word-problematize-one-more-time-i-m-going-to-vomit/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“I think I'm going to vomit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cayla-kluver/i-think-i-m-going-to-vomit/) [Cayla Kluver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cayla-kluver/) > [“Oh my God, of course she was Lily—and she was sickeningly beautiful. Suddenly, I was even more nauseous than usual. I was going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-delucy/oh-my-god-of-course-she-was-lily-and-she-was-sickeningly-beautiful/) [Jennifer DeLucy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-delucy/) > [OMG YOUR UGLINESS... ITS TOO MUCH!!!! where's the bathroom??? I'm going to vomit!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison/omg-your-ugliness-its-too-much-where-s-the-bathroom-i-m-going-to-vomit/) [Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison/) > [“Are you unwell? You aren't going to vomit on me, are you?" "That wasn't on my list of planned activities for the afternoon, no,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-macalister/are-you-unwell-you-aren-t-going-to-vomit-on-me-are-you-that-wasn-t-on/) [Katie MacAlister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-macalister/) > [A cocktail and an oyster is an awfully good thing after a park, especially one close to water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-thile/a-cocktail-and-an-oyster-is-an-awfully-good-thing-after-a-park/) [Chris Thile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-thile/) > [OYSTER, n. A slimy, gobby shellfish which civilization gives men the hardihood to eat without removing its entrails! The shells are sometimes given to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/oyster-n-a-slimy-gobby-shellfish-which-civilization-gives-men-the/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [“But the life of a man is of no greater importance to the universe than that of an oyster.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/but-the-life-of-a-man-is-of-no-greater-importance-to-the-universe/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [The world was my oyster but I used the wrong fork.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-world-was-my-oyster-but-i-used-the-wrong-fork/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [From a grain of sand in the Pearl comes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/from-a-grain-of-sand-in-the-pearl-comes/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [“Even a grain of sand united with an oyster can make a pearl.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truth-devour/even-a-grain-of-sand-united-with-an-oyster-can-make-a-pearl/) Truth Devour > [I went up to the camp and Paul had me eat my first oyster I had never had an oyster in my life. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/i-went-up-to-the-camp-and-paul-had-me-eat-my-first-oyster-i-had-never/) [Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/) > [Get action. Seize the moment. Man was never intended to become an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/get-action-seize-the-moment-man-was-never-intended-to-become-an-oyster/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/) [Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/) ## More by Pat Conroy > [A recipe is a story that ends with a good meal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/a-recipe-is-a-story-that-ends-with-a-good-meal/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [Except for memory, time would have no meaning at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/except-for-memory-time-would-have-no-meaning-at-all/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [It's an article of faith that the novels I've loved will live inside me forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/it-s-an-article-of-faith-that-the-novels-i-ve-loved-will-live-inside/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [“my folks wouldn't read a book if you put a gun to their dicks. but they read people all day long and always get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/my-folks-wouldn-t-read-a-book-if-you-put-a-gun-to-their-dicks-but/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [Cameras are a lifesaver for very shy people who have nowhere else to hide. Behind a lens they can disguise the fact that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/cameras-are-a-lifesaver-for-very-shy-people-who-have-nowhere-else-to/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [Carolina beach music," Dupree said, coming up on the porch. "The holiest sound on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/carolina-beach-music-dupree-said-coming-up-on-the-porch-the-holiest/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [“My memory often seems like a city of exiled poets afire with the astonishment of language, each believing in the integrity of his own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/my-memory-often-seems-like-a-city-of-exiled-poets-afire-with-the/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [“We began our life together at a moment of natural self-pity and defeat that left an inimitable impression on both of us. The rejection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/we-began-our-life-together-at-a-moment-of-natural-self-pity-and/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [“I always liked your piety, Jack.” “I’m a lot cuter than the women of your generation,” Betsy said, playing up to Capers and Mike.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/i-always-liked-your-piety-jack-i-m-a-lot-cuter-than-the-women-of-your/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [“From the beginning I've searched out those writers unafraid to stir up the emotions, who entrust me with their darkest passions, their most indestructible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/from-the-beginning-i-ve-searched-out-those-writers-unafraid-to-stir/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [“My mother's voice and my father's fists are two bookends of my childhood, and they form the basis of my art.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/my-mother-s-voice-and-my-father-s-fists-are-two-bookends-of-my/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [“Over the years, my church gave me passage into a menagerie of exotic words unknown in the South: "introit," "offertory," "liturgy," "movable feast," "the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/over-the-years-my-church-gave-me-passage-into-a-menagerie-of-exotic/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [“I have built a city from the books I've read. A good book sings a a timeless music that is heard in the choir…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/i-have-built-a-city-from-the-books-i-ve-read-a-good-book-sings-a-a/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [“Time moves funny and it's hard to pin down. Occasionally, time offers you a hundred opportunities to do the right thing. Sometimes, it gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/time-moves-funny-and-it-s-hard-to-pin-down-occasionally-time-offers/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [“I take it as an article of faith that the novels I've loved will live inside me forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/i-take-it-as-an-article-of-faith-that-the-novels-i-ve-loved-will-live/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) [Explore all 371 Pat Conroy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) ## More Oyster quotes > [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/) [Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/) > [Get action. Seize the moment. Man was never intended to become an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/get-action-seize-the-moment-man-was-never-intended-to-become-an-oyster/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [I went up to the camp and Paul had me eat my first oyster I had never had an oyster in my life. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/i-went-up-to-the-camp-and-paul-had-me-eat-my-first-oyster-i-had-never/) [Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/) > [“Even a grain of sand united with an oyster can make a pearl.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truth-devour/even-a-grain-of-sand-united-with-an-oyster-can-make-a-pearl/) Truth Devour > [From a grain of sand in the Pearl comes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/from-a-grain-of-sand-in-the-pearl-comes/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [The world was my oyster but I used the wrong fork.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-world-was-my-oyster-but-i-used-the-wrong-fork/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“But the life of a man is of no greater importance to the universe than that of an oyster.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/but-the-life-of-a-man-is-of-no-greater-importance-to-the-universe/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [OYSTER, n. A slimy, gobby shellfish which civilization gives men the hardihood to eat without removing its entrails! The shells are sometimes given to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/oyster-n-a-slimy-gobby-shellfish-which-civilization-gives-men-the/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [A cocktail and an oyster is an awfully good thing after a park, especially one close to water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-thile/a-cocktail-and-an-oyster-is-an-awfully-good-thing-after-a-park/) [Chris Thile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-thile/) > [An oyster, that marvel of delicacy, that concentration of sapid excellence, that mouthful bwefore all other mouthfuls, who first had faith to believe it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/an-oyster-that-marvel-of-delicacy-that-concentration-of-sapid/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [I blurbed a nice book, not at all like my book 'The Big Oyster,' called 'The Essential Oyster.' I blurbed a pretty good book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kurlansky/i-blurbed-a-nice-book-not-at-all-like-my-book-the-big-oyster-called/) [Mark Kurlansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kurlansky/) > [“I think about pearls. Pearls are congealed oyster spit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-think-about-pearls-pearls-are-congealed-oyster-spit/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [ “A pearl is a beautiful thing that is produced by an injured life. It is the tear \[that results\] from the injury of the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-hoeller/a-pearl-is-a-beautiful-thing-that-is-produced-by-an-injured-life-it/) Stephan Hoeller > [The most extraordinary thing about the oyster is this. Irritations set into his shell. He does not like them. But when he cannot get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-emerson-fosdick/the-most-extraordinary-thing-about-the-oyster-is-this-irritations-set/) [Harry Emerson Fosdick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-emerson-fosdick/) > [I'm a firm believer that the world should be your oyster when you're cooking. People should open themselves to other cuisines - there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yotam-ottolenghi/i-m-a-firm-believer-that-the-world-should-be-your-oyster-when-you-re/) [Yotam Ottolenghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yotam-ottolenghi/) Browse all 161 Oyster quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Here, open wide and let it slide,” he said, tilting a half-shell into Ben’s mouth. The oyster hit Ben’s mouth. It felt warm, salty, and had the consistency of loose phlegm. For a moment, Ben thought he was going to vomit. 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