Racing down a slope in pursuit of cheese, “it makes you proud to be British”
Dozens of people attempted to seize Double Gloucester cheeses released from the top of an English hill on Monday, May 26. This annual ritual, as eccentric as it is risky, honors the United Kingdom's intangible heritage, according to the British press.
“For the average person, the perfect holiday is spent at home, lounging around and not lifting a finger,” jokes The Guardian . But in the county of Gloucestershire, not far from the border between England and Wales, “a small band of daredevils prefers to chase after a wheel of cheese,” teases the London newspaper.
On Monday, May 26, a public holiday in the United Kingdom, "the spectators who came to watch the event knew exactly what they wanted," the weekly magazine The Economist enthusiastically reported .
“ 'Cheese! Cheese! Cheese!' ['Cheese, cheese, cheese'] they chanted.”
And the cheese appeared. Released on a 27% incline, the wheel of Double Gloucester was quickly chased by dozens of participants. “They slide, fall, bounce” down the hillside, the British magazine describes. The winner takes home the generous cylinder, weighing 3.2 kilograms, “and leaves with a slight concussion.”
Courrier International
