The Zieht table - introducing a draft to the room

I was attending a meeting of an international group at a restaurant. I sat with the English speakers, which happened to be a table of expats. The meeting room was horribly stuffy and I was sweating just sitting there. Our group decided to open the window. We giggled among ourselves, bracing for the onslaught of "Es Zieht!," the exclamation that there's a draft.

See, many Germans are concerned about there being a draft. There is a thought that such a thing can make a person sick. I still haven't wrapped my head around that one because people are encouraged to throw their windows wide open for 5-15 minutes at a time in the winter to air out the house to prevent mold and doing this won't make one sick. However, a misplaced draft, even during the summer, is something to be concerned about, apparently.

I know, from having studied air quality and the like, that it's worse to have everything sealed up tight. I also was feeling a bit ill from the heat. I was so relieved when our renegade table opened the windows. Later, I did see some of the German ladies opening the window on their side so maybe the desire to not pass out from the heat overrode the possibility of the Zieht.