VOA文化艺术2024--US Scientist’s Advice Shocks British Tea Drinkers

US Scientist’s Advice Shocks British Tea Drinkers

　　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 colonists¹ 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 outrage² 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 etiquette³ guide Debrett's on the social media service X, formerly⁴ 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 solidarity⁵ 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 experimentation⁶ with more than 100 chemical compounds. The book, the publisher added, "puts the chemistry to use with advice on how to brew⁷ a better cup."

　　Francl said adding a small amount of salt — not enough to taste — makes tea seem less bitter. This is because "the sodium⁸ 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 wade⁹ into a diplomatic conversation with the U.S. Embassy."

　　Words in This Story

　　outrage - n. extreme anger, a strong feeling of unhappiness

　　microwave - n. kitchen device to cook and heat food using electromagnetic energy

　　etiquette - n. rules showing the proper and polite way to behave

　　lighthearted - adj. not serious

　　bitter - adj. having stong and unpleasant flavor, the opposite of sweet

　　wade - v. to become involved in a discussion, situation...

1 colonists   

n.殖民地开拓者，移民，殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Colonists from Europe populated many parts of the Americas. 欧洲的殖民者移居到了美洲的许多地方。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some of the early colonists were cruel to the native population. 有些早期移居殖民地的人对当地居民很残忍。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

3 etiquette   

n.礼仪，礼节；规矩

参考例句：

• The rules of etiquette are not so strict nowadays.如今的礼仪规则已不那么严格了。
• According to etiquette,you should stand up to meet a guest.按照礼节你应该站起来接待客人。

4 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

5 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

6 experimentation   

n.实验，试验，实验法

参考例句：

• Many people object to experimentation on animals.许多人反对用动物做实验。
• Study and analysis are likely to be far cheaper than experimentation.研究和分析的费用可能要比实验少得多。

7 brew   

v.酿造，调制

参考例句：

• Let's brew up some more tea.咱们沏些茶吧。
• The policeman dispelled the crowd lest they should brew trouble.警察驱散人群，因恐他们酿祸。

8 sodium   

n.（化）钠

参考例句：

• Out over the town the sodium lights were lit.在外面，全城的钠光灯都亮了。
• Common salt is a compound of sodium and chlorine.食盐是钠和氯的复合物。

9 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。