US Scientist’s Advice Shocks British Tea Drinkers

2024-02-01 17:04:00来源：网络

美国科学家的建议震惊了英国的茶饮者

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　　By Hai Do

　　25 January 2024

　　An American scientist has started a tempest in a teapot by offering Britain advice on its favorite drink: tea.

　　Tempest in a teapot is an expression to describe a strong, noisy, and angry reaction over something small or unimportant.

　　Michelle Francl is a chemistry professor at Bryn Mawr College, outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She said tea drinkers should add a little salt to make a perfect cup of tea.

　　That advice is included in her book Steeped: The Chemistry of Tea. The book was published Wednesday by the Royal Society of Chemistry.

　　Mixing tea with salt water has never gone well for British-American relations. In 1773, American colonists in Boston, Massachusetts, were angry at Britain for adding more taxes to raise money. So they dumped British tea into the sea. The event became known as the Boston Tea Party. It led to the start of the American Revolution.

　　Francl's suggestion caused outrage among tea lovers in Britain. They see Americans as coffee drinkers who know nothing about tea. And they think if Americans drink tea at all, they just heat water in a microwave.

　　"Don't even say the word ′salt′ to us..." said the etiquette guide Debrett's on the social media service X, formerly known as Twitter.

　　Even the U.S. Embassy in London joined the tempest in a teapot. In a social media post, it promised "the good people of the U.K. [United Kingdom] that the unthinkable notion of adding salt to Britain's national drink is not official United States policy."

　　"Let us unite in our steeped solidarity and show the world that when it comes to tea, we stand as one," the embassy said in the post. "The U.S. Embassy will continue to make tea in the proper way - by microwaving it," it added.

　　The embassy later said that the post was "a lighthearted play on our shared cultural connections" rather than an official press release.

　　Francl's book Steeped, however, is no joke. The advice, its publisher said, comes from three years of research and experimentation with more than 100 chemical compounds. The book, the publisher added, "puts the chemistry to use with advice on how to brew a better cup."

　　Francl said adding a small amount of salt — not enough to taste — makes tea seem less bitter. This is because "the sodium ions in salt block the bitter receptors in our mouths," she explained.

　　She also suggests making tea in a warmed pot, shaking the tea bag around, and serving tea in a short and wide cup to keep the heat. And she says milk should be added to the cup after the tea and not before – another issue that often divides tea lovers.

　　Francl has been surprised by the reaction to her book in Britain.

　　"I kind of understood that there would hopefully be a lot of interest," she told The Associated Press. "I didn't know we'd wade into a diplomatic conversation with the U.S. Embassy."

　　I'm Ashley Thompson.

　　Jill Lawless reported this story for The Associated Press. Hai Do adapted the story for Learning English.

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　　作者：Hai Do

　　2024年1月25日

　　一位美国科学家因为对英国人最喜欢的饮品：茶，提出建议，引发了一场“茶杯风暴”。

　　“茶杯风暴”是一个表达方式，用来形容对小事或不重要的事情产生强烈、嘈杂和愤怒的反应。

　　Michelle Francl是宾夕法尼亚州费城郊区布林茅尔学院的一位化学教授。她说，茶饮者应该加一点盐来泡一杯完美的茶。

　　这个建议包含在她的书《浸泡：茶的化学》中。这本书于周三由皇家化学学会出版。

　　将茶与盐水混合从未对英美关系产生过好的影响。1773年，马萨诸塞州波士顿的美国殖民者对英国增加更多税收以筹集资金感到愤怒，于是他们将英国的茶倒入海中。这个事件被称为波士顿茶党事件，它导致了美国革命的开始。

　　Francl的建议在英国的茶爱好者中引起了愤怒。他们认为美国人是咖啡饮者，对茶一无所知。他们认为如果美国人喝茶的话，他们只是在微波炉中加热水。

　　“甚至不要对我们说‘盐’这个词……”礼仪指南Debrett's在社交媒体服务X上说，X以前被称为Twitter。