On the conventional side, a long line of men in white coats, tall rubber boots, netted heads, and paper arm condoms systematically turned dead cows into slabs of meat and tubs of glistening viscera. On the kosher side, the same thing happened with many, many more steps. The cow was not merely disassembled; it was scrutinized, parts turned inside out, upside down, blown up, and pored over. Any tiny imperfection rendered it unacceptable, and swiftly, like a plague victim, it would be whisked away to the other side of the divide.
