Hypothesis: British tongues are more heat resistant than American tongues.
Not long after I moved here, I noticed that British people had the amazing ability to drink tea immediately after making it. My coworkers would boil the kettle, make their tea, sit at their desk and take a sip (or swig sometimes) immediately upon sitting. Then I noticed that incredibly, my husband could drink from a McDonalds coffee cup before exiting the drive-through, while I would have to wait until we were a few miles down the road before I would even dare to take a cautious sip. The final straw was at a friend's house for dinner - all the other guests ate roast potatoes which had been removed from the oven only minutes earlier without blowing on them first! (how do they do that!?)
Something is definetely going on here...
Is it the love of tea that has made British tongues build up a tolerance to hot food and drink? Perhaps they have been drinking straight-from-the-kettle-tea since childhood and have desensitized the nerves on the tongue?
Materials Needed: A few American tongues and a few British tongues prepared to be dipped in hot liquids and willing to sign a consent form releasing me from any liability.
I will report back on the findings of this important scientific experiement once completed.
For now, if you have a sensitive American tongue like me, you may be interested in this product which will save you from future burns similar to the one from which I am currently suffering after my bionic-tongued husband asked me to taste spaghetti sauce without blowing on it first. Thanks, hubs.
I would be willing to bet the results will show you are correct! I noticed the same thing in the mcdonalds drive thru with David and the coffee and it took a few minutes for me to pick my jaw up off the floor when he did not immediately recoil from the burn.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right - you are onto something here :)
ReplyDeleteXO L
A warning for those hot-beverage drinkers: http://www.medpagetoday.com/HematologyOncology/OtherCancers/13453
ReplyDeleteI just arrived and have not gotten over the initial shock phase. I started a blog before I left the States but have had to give it a break while I go into survival mode. I have a theory about the scalding liquids myself. It's so cold here that they have become numb to tempurature, and it also gives them the super human ability to wear short skirts, thin tights, and little or no coat. I am amazed by the tolerance for cold!
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