Posted Dec 3, 2022 at 10:37 am
“Those who think I’m completely insane are right! The sentence is signed by Brian Chevalier, 36, who published it on social networks on December 19, 2021, when he finally decided to turn on his radiator. His two hats, two pairs of socks, two shirts, two jackets and two hoodies didn’t help: With an outside temperature of minus 7 degrees, he had to end his long days without heating that day, a challenge he has accepted every year for the past fifteen years .
Hoping to break his record from last year, Brian Chevalier has done it again this fall, with the support of 28,000 people cheering him on his Facebook and Twitter accounts, The Wall Street Journal reports. Of course, rising gas, oil and electricity prices motivate Rhode Island Americans even more, but this “sobriety contest” has been part of the culture of this region of the United States for years.
A lie told to children
Emily Sculy, a City Hall employee in South Portland, Maine, grew up thinking for years that it was absolutely forbidden to turn on the heat in her home before October 15th. It wasn’t until her 20th birthday that her parents confessed her lie and she finally found out the truth: “We were all told that when we were children!” the young woman exclaims to the “Wall Street Journal”, who admits to having been with the big reveal to have seemed a bit stupid.
To live without heat and therefore to freeze is a noble cause in New England. It is part of the culture of the inhabitants, their traditions. “Are you a real New Englander? ‘ asked the Boston Globe in his recent columns: ‘If you’ve already turned on your heating, the answer is no. No heating before Halloween could be our regional motto. Note that it was 8°C in Rhode Island at the end of October.
Open the windows to capture the warmth
Set out by Brian Chevalier, the rules of the challenge are simple: “No heat means no heat. So it is out of the question to have electric blankets, to quickly turn on the heating, the oven or the wood stove in the house. This digital marketing executive today says he should open the windows of his home “when the outside temperature is around 10C to trap the heat.”
He admits that he tolerates the cold on the road very well, but has major problems when he comes out of the shower in the morning. Another very awkward moment is when he’s sitting on his sofa in front of the TV to watch a football game: “You really feel the cold there,” he says. Another follower of this challenge adds: “If your pipes don’t freeze, that you can sleep and work properly, that’s enough, the rest is luxury! »