The third theory is that when eating beef was uncommon because the meat of four-legged animals was considered taboo, it was believed that if you had a dish like this, you would be punished and 'hayajini suru' (you would die young), and the public came to call the dish 'hayashi rice.'
ハヤシライスは、四足の肉ということで牛肉が受け入れられていなかった時代、このような料理を食べていたら罰が当たる、「早死にする」ということから世間でハヤシライスと呼ばれはじめたとの説。