SEAESの眼(SEAES EYES)

今年２０１０年は７月２６日（月）。
という事で、その辺りの週末の鰻屋さんは混みそうです。

そもそも、土用の丑の日に鰻を食べるようになった習慣を調べて見ました。
諸説有るようですが、一番有名なのは、かの平賀源内が夏に売れない鰻屋から依頼されて、
丑の日は「う」の付く日だから「鰻を食べよう」というプロモーション活動を行い、
コレがとても評判になり土用の丑の日に鰻を食べる習慣が出来たというものだ。

私が子供の頃、鰻と梅干しは食べ合わせが良くないと言われていたのですが、
両方とも頭文字に「う」が付くんですよね。

鰻（うなぎ）と梅干し（うめぼし）の食べ合わせについては、
鰻の脂っぽさと梅干しの酸味が刺激し合い、消化不良を起こす事もあるそうな。

確かに、夏の疲れた胃腸に両極端な食べ物を同時に取ると、
体が異変を起こすのかもしれませんね。

気をつけたいところです。

話を戻して「土用の丑の日」。

そもそも、土用は、春、夏、秋、冬の年四回あり、
土用の丑の日というと、年に数回あるという。

鰻を食べる「土用の丑の日」は基本的に”夏”をイメージするが、
最近では、「寒の土用の丑の日」と言って長野県岡谷市周辺では、
寒い時期でも鰻を食べるようなキャンペーンも展開されている。

この時期になると鰻丼を食べたくなるんですよね。
浜松人たるもの、「夏に鰻を食べずしてヤラマイカンと言う無かれ」ってところでしょうか。

鰻を食べて、夜にはうなぎパイを食べて、暑い夏を乗り切りましょう。

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

(Ox frm. Chinese Zodiac, & "*Doyo*" meaning "Earth" frm. Five Element Theory)

The Ox day of this year(2010) will be the 26th of July. As it has been our
custom to eat grilled eel in summer for long time, weekends during this time
Japanese eel restaurants will be packed with people.

There're various rumors & theories why we've started to eat grilled eel in
this specific period, but the most known is our famous historical guy from
*Edo*-era, *Gennai Hiraga* (often referred to the "Japanese DaVinci") was
begged by an eel restaurant owner to improve the sales during the summer
because people loose appetite, and then he came up with the slogan saying
"Today is the Ox day, the eel day of *Doy*o" (Japanese for ox = "*Ushi*",
& eel = "*Unagi*" starts out with the same "U" pronunciation, which in a
way rhymes when spoken).

By the way, when I was a kid, I've been told by my parents not to eat an
eel together with pickled plums ("*Ume*" in Japanese, also a traditional
Japanese food), for they're bad combination each other. Then I noticed,
huh, pickled plums also starts with "U", too!

I've heard that the fat from an eel & the sourness from pickled plums
causes indigestion when eaten together. Never tried to take that risk
though.

Anyways...

Back to the subject about the day of Ox in *Doyo*, there are four *Doyo*period through out the year.
In other words,*Doyo* is a seasonal terminology describing 18 days of time phrase prior
to the beginning of Spring, Summer, Fall, & Winter based on old calender.
So combined with Chinese Zodiac, there are several days of Ox in *Doyo *within
a year.

We often consider eating grilled eel on the *Doyo* Ox season in mid-summer
, but recently there's been a different approach. For example, around *
Okaya*-city area in *Nagano* Prefecture people are putting out a campaign
to urge people eating eels in winter saying "The Ox day, the eel day of COLD
*Doyo* period". Quite interesting I find.

I, like an other average Japanese, hunger to eat grilled eel with sweetened
soy-sauce topped on rice bowl when this time of the hot season comes
around. Especially living in "eel city" *Hamamatsu*, how can you live the
summer through without it, eh?

Eating the grilled eel rice bowl during the day, and the famous *Hamamatsu
* eel sweets "*Unagi* Pie" for night snack, I'm all set for the summer
with lots of stamina gained!!