July 27th is "Day of the Ox". It's the day to raise Japan and eat eels.

However, it seems that the price of domestic eels is soaring due to the poor catch of fry this year. Therefore, it seems that supermarkets and other stores are rushing to develop eel substitutes.

I feel like eating that substitute. However, I also feel that I don't want to think, "That person can't buy eels, so I bought a substitute. I'm sorry."

Will many people eat eels this year? Or is it a substitute? Don't you eat eel in the first place?

Internet research company Macromill has announced the results of a survey on eels. Therefore, the author, who had no choice but to be concerned about the eel situation of the other side, decided to take a look at this survey.

■ Do you have any plans to eat eel on this year's Day of the Ox?

When asked if they would like to eat eel on this year's Day of the Ox, 53.6% of the respondents said they would eat it.



This year, one in two Japanese will eat eel. I'm sorry for 60 million eels.

By the way, what is the budget for one person? The most common answer to the question was "1,000 yen". 89 people answered so.

■ If you eat, is it domestic?

When asked about the "production area" and "price" of eels, 68% answered that "domestic eels are good even if they are expensive". In response, 32% of respondents answered that "imported eels are better if they are cheaper."



Even if it is expensive, it is domestically produced. After all, do you care about food safety?

■ Do you want to eat "African eel"?

In June 2012, eel wholesalers finally started importing "African eels". It is said that this African eel will be sold at a price of about 60% of the domestic eel.

Now, how many people want to eat this "African eel"?

According to the survey, 6.4% said they would like to eat, 27.8% said they would rather eat, and a total of 34.2% wanted to eat African products. This percentage is almost the same as the percentage of those who answered, "If it is cheap, imported eels are good." After all, Japanese people seem to want to eat domestic eel.



By the way, it is said to be from Africa, but strictly speaking, it is from Madagascar.

"I like dancing, I like it very much, I like dancing, I like everyone!"

■ Popular "eel alternative product" ranking

At supermarkets and restaurants, as a countermeasure against soaring eels, we are focusing on developing and selling "eel substitute products" made from ingredients other than eels.

When asked what kind of food they would like to eat, the first place was "conger eel kabayaki" at 59.8%, the second place was "pacific saury no kabayaki" at 42.4%, and the third place was "pork rose kabayaki" at 30.8%, 4 The rank was "Beef Kabayaki" at 28.4%, and the 5th place was "Tofu no Kabayaki" at 21.2%.



I feel that Anako and pacific saury Kabayaki are usually delicious. Hmmm, but what about pork roses and beef? Aside from the taste, isn't it "grilled meat" rather than kabayaki? Should Tofu Kabayaki be called "Yaki-dofu"?

Well, what did you think after reading this far? I decided to eat eel this year. It's new and cheap, so I'd like to try African products. Eel substitutes pass ... Because it's not an eel.

This survey was conducted on men and women over the age of 20 nationwide. The survey period is from July 5th to 6th, 2012. The number of valid responses was 500.