The Jihi Code

The jihi ("mercy") code is a set of dietary laws peculiar to the citizen-believers of The Diaspora Church of The Eternal Kawaii. Developed over the previous centuries by the former Holy Otaku Church of the Eternal Kawaii, they are a major section of current Kawaiian religious law.

Principles

There are two basic principles that govern the jihi code:

Life and Labor 

According to the code, it is permissible to compel an animal to serve Man through its labor, or it is permissible to take an animal's life for food, but it is not permissible to require both from the beast. In other words, animals that are raised for food may not be used as work animals, and vice versa.

Humaneness 

If an animal's life is to be taken for food, it should be done humanely, through prescribed slaughter procedures. It is recognized that there are times when this is impossible, and so special rules exist for the consumption of such animals.

Forbidden and Permitted Meats

The jihi code refers specifically to meat and animal products. All vegetables are considered ritually clean, so a strictly vegetarian diet is automatically in line with the code.

The code divides animals into three groups:

"Food" Animals 

These include pigs, cattle, sheep and fowl, and other animals raised for their meat. They are permissible to be eaten, but cannot be used for work. (For example, ox-drawn plowing is prohibited.) All such animals should be slaughtered as humanely as possible for their flesh to be considered ritually clean.

"Work" Animals 

These include horses, dogs, cats, and other animals from which some service is derived. Eating them is strictly prohibited; there are no procedures that will allow it.

"Wild" Animals 

These include fish, shellfish, and all animals that are neither fed nor sheltered by Man. Under what circumstances the animal's flesh may be eaten depends on the way the animal was taken from the wild:

• Animals that are taken alive and unhurt, including fish that are caught by nets, shellfish, and animals taken in (pain-free) snares are considered "captured." They are considered equivalent to "food" animals provided they are slaughtered humanely after being taken.
• Fish that are caught by hooks, and animals that are killed rather than taken alive (pain-inducing snares such as leg-hold traps are forbidden) are considered "hunted." Because humane slaughter is impossible in this case, the flesh of such game animals may be eaten by the hunter, but any excess may not be sold--it can only be given away as charity. Kawaiian religious scholars explain this restriction as acknowleging that Man is a predator and may live by the suffering of animals, but it is not morally permissible for him to profit from it.

Forbidden and Permitted Animal Products

Milk and Eggs 

Milk, eggs, and any food made from them are forbidden under the jihi code. Because the cow and the hen are raised for her meat, taking her milk or her eggs is considered forcing her to perform labor. UN observers have commented that this is the most remarkable feature of the jihi code (and of Kawaiian cuisine), considering the wide range of foodstuffs that contain dairy and egg products.

Wool 

Under the jihi code, sheep, goats, and other animals may be raised for both meat and wool. Shearing an animal of its wool is not considered making it perform labor, since it doesn't injure the animal and its wool would fall out naturally anyways.

Leather 

The jihi code considers leather a kind of meat, even though it is not eaten. Thus, it is permissible to make and use leather from the hides of "food" animals but not from the hides of "work" animals. (For example, a pig-skin football is permissible, but a horsehide baseball is not.)

Fur 

The jihi code considers fur the same as leather. However, since many kinds of fur are taken from game animals, jihi certification is required to guarantee whether the fur came from a "captured" animal (and thus can be sold) or from a "hunted" animal (which can only be given away.) Thus, most fur products in the Eternal Kawaii came from "fur farms" such as mink ranches. Also, some fur-bearing animals, such as ferrets, are considered "work" animals because of their use in killing rats; fur from these animals is impermissible.

The Jihi Code in Practice

Farming and Ranching, Fishing and Hunting

Before the collapse of the Kawaiian agricultural industry (along with all other industry) due to the attacks of the kaiju, Kawaiian farms and ranches were considered by UN food and agriculture experts as models of humane animal husbandry. Because of the ban on milk and egg production, calves were usually permitted to nurse until fully weaned rather than being taken for veal, and chickens were allowed to brood freely. The jihi code prohibits castrating "food" animals, so steers and capons were not found, although gelded horses were sometimes seen. It is expected that these same practices will follow the Kawaiians into exile and will be seen in the diaspora community.

The jihi code divides fishing into two practices: fishing with nets and fishing with hooks. Only fish taken with nets can be sold as food, so the range of products one finds in a Kawaiian fish-market can be somewhat limited.

Because of the ban on buying and selling the flesh of hunted animals, very few Kawaiians eat wild game; it is considered a special luxury offered between friends. This has led to the "hunt club" phenomenon, where groups of Kawaiians with a common interest in hunting would share their catches with each other in private dining clubs. The current exodus appears to be forcing Kawaiians to rely much more on hunting as a source of food, which has expanded the "hunt club" phenomenon greatly. What effect this will have on their society and economy remains to be seen.

Restaurants and Food Stores

Since very few Kawaiians raise their own food, under the HOCEK there was a Jihi Authority consisting of otaku who would certify whether animals to be sold as food were of the proper category, whether they were slaughtered humanely, and whether any food products sold were free of forbidden ingredients like milk or eggs. Although the Jihi Authority was formally dissolved along with the rest of the HOCEK, the code itself was re-affirmed by the Prophet. Semi-formal replacements for the Jihi Authority have been set up under the new diaspora governments, and UN observers expect these will become more formalized as the Kawaiian exodus continues and they settle down in more stable lands.

Adherence to the jihi code, of course, requires a fair amount of self-discipline among Kawaiians, particularly in social situations where they may be asked to eat with foreigners. Most Kawaiians stick to a vegetarian diet in such situations, although some may be willing to accept certain foreign-origin meats (pork for example, since it's considered impossible to get labor out of a pig) if they believe it was produced in line with the code.

Related Entries

• A Guide to Kawaiian Culture