US Scientist's Advice Shocks British Tea Drinkers

2024-01-26

00:00 / 00:00
复读宝 RABC v8.0beta 复读机按钮使用说明
播放/暂停
停止
播放时:倒退3秒/复读时:回退AB段
播放时:快进3秒/复读时:前进AB段
拖动:改变速度/点击:恢复正常速度1.0
拖动改变复读暂停时间
点击:复读最近5秒/拖动:改变复读次数
设置A点
设置B点
取消复读并清除AB点
播放一行
停止播放
后退一行
前进一行
复读一行
复读多行
变速复读一行
变速复读多行
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1
  • An American scientist has started a tempest in a teapot by offering Britain advice on its favorite drink: tea.
  • 2
  • Tempest in a teapot is an expression to describe a strong, noisy, and angry reaction over something small or unimportant.
  • 3
  • Michelle Francl is a chemistry professor at Bryn Mawr College, outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
  • 4
  • She said tea drinkers should add a little salt to make a perfect cup of tea.
  • 5
  • That advice is included in her book Steeped: The Chemistry of Tea.
  • 6
  • The book was published Wednesday by the Royal Society of Chemistry.
  • 7
  • Mixing tea with salt water has never gone well for British-American relations.
  • 8
  • In 1773, American colonists in Boston, Massachusetts, were angry at Britain for adding more taxes to raise money.
  • 9
  • So they dumped British tea into the sea. The event became known as the Boston Tea Party.
  • 10
  • It led to the start of the American Revolution.
  • 11
  • Francl's suggestion caused outrage among tea lovers in Britain.
  • 12
  • They see Americans as coffee drinkers who know nothing about tea.
  • 13
  • And they think if Americans drink tea at all, they just heat water in a microwave.
  • 14
  • "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.
  • 15
  • Even the U.S. Embassy in London joined the tempest in a teapot.
  • 16
  • 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."
  • 17
  • "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.
  • 18
  • "The U.S. Embassy will continue to make tea in the proper way - by microwaving it," it added.
  • 19
  • The embassy later said that the post was "a lighthearted play on our shared cultural connections" rather than an official press release.
  • 20
  • Francl's book Steeped, however, is no joke.
  • 21
  • The advice, its publisher said, comes from three years of research and experimentation with more than 100 chemical compounds.
  • 22
  • The book, the publisher added, "puts the chemistry to use with advice on how to brew a better cup."
  • 23
  • Francl said adding a small amount of salt - not enough to taste - makes tea seem less bitter.
  • 24
  • This is because "the sodium ions in salt block the bitter receptors in our mouths," she explained.
  • 25
  • 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.
  • 26
  • And she says milk should be added to the cup after the tea and not before - another issue that often divides tea lovers.
  • 27
  • Francl has been surprised by the reaction to her book in Britain.
  • 28
  • "I kind of understood that there would hopefully be a lot of interest," she told The Associated Press.
  • 29
  • "I didn't know we'd wade into a diplomatic conversation with the U.S. Embassy."
  • 30
  • I'm Ashley Thompson.
  • 1
  • An American scientist has started a tempest in a teapot by offering Britain advice on its favorite drink: tea.
  • 2
  • Tempest in a teapot is an expression to describe a strong, noisy, and angry reaction over something small or unimportant.
  • 3
  • 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.
  • 4
  • That advice is included in her book Steeped: The Chemistry of Tea. The book was published Wednesday by the Royal Society of Chemistry.
  • 5
  • 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.
  • 6
  • 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.
  • 7
  • "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.
  • 8
  • 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."
  • 9
  • "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.
  • 10
  • The embassy later said that the post was "a lighthearted play on our shared cultural connections" rather than an official press release.
  • 11
  • 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."
  • 12
  • 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.
  • 13
  • 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.
  • 14
  • Francl has been surprised by the reaction to her book in Britain.
  • 15
  • "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."
  • 16
  • I'm Ashley Thompson.
  • 17
  • Jill Lawless reported this story for The Associated Press. Hai Do adapted the story for Learning English.
  • 18
  • ________________________________________________
  • 19
  • Words in This Story
  • 20
  • outrage - n. extreme anger, a strong feeling of unhappiness
  • 21
  • microwave - n. kitchen device to cook and heat food using electromagnetic energy
  • 22
  • etiquette - n. rules showing the proper and polite way to behave
  • 23
  • lighthearted - adj. not serious
  • 24
  • bitter - adj. having stong and unpleasant flavor, the opposite of sweet
  • 25
  • wade - v. to become involved in a discussion, situation...