The British palate has matured in the past decade from tea and tomato ketchup to more exotic flavors—and the proof is splattered across the nation's shirts, skirts and trousers, a study showed. A Top 10 Stains List compiled by Johnson's, a leading dry cleaning firm, saw foreign flavors such as turmeric spice and sun-dried tomatoes displacing beetroot and blackcurrant among the most common marks on soiled laundry. Topping the 2001 table of most common stains was turmeric, a pungent powder used to flavor and color curry. Also new on the list were teriyaki sauce, olive oil, pesto sauce and the orange-yellow colors of saffron. A list drawn up in 1991 featured traditional favorites such as tea, tomato ketchup, beetroot and blackcurrant, as well as ink and shoe polish.“We found that with changing lifestyles and with foods from the East becoming more popular that our cleaning techniques just weren't powerful enough anymore," said Johnson's spokesman David Bryant. "Our outlets now use an ultrasonic gun developed in Japan for the new generation of stains." But some foods seem to have a timeless taste appeal and an enduring ability to leap on to clothing—red wine and coffee figured prominently on both the 1991 and 2001 lists.

　　一项研究指出，英国人的口味在过去十年中逐渐从茶和番茄酱转向了一些更具异国风情的调料——证据是英国人衬衫、裙子和裤子上的污渍。根据干洗业的领头羊约翰森斯公司汇编的十大污渍排行榜，像姜黄香料和晒干番茄这样的舶来食品正在取代甜菜根和黑醋栗而成为脏衣服上最常见的印迹。名列2001年排行榜首位的最常见污渍来自味道刺激的姜黄粉，咖喱的风味和颜色就是来源于它。其他新上榜污渍还有日本烧烤酱、橄榄油、香蒜酱以及橘黄色的藏红花调料留下的印迹。1991年排行榜上的明星是茶、番茄酱、甜菜根和黑醋栗等英国人的传统爱物，还有墨水和鞋油。“我们发现，随着人们生活方式的改变以及东方食品的日益流行，我们的洗涤技术已经不够用了。”约翰森斯公司发言人大卫·布莱恩特说，“我们的各家分店现在用一种日本研制的超声枪来对付新一代污渍。”不过有些食品似乎拥有永久的魅力以及经久不衰的蹦到衣服上的能力——红酒和咖啡在1991和2001排行榜上都占据着显著的位置。

　　Remarks：世界变化真是快，食物如此，人当然更不在话下，毕竟有西谚云: “You are what you eat”。