Wendy's gives customer the finger!

[Candy]

Finger Found! (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1371012/posts)
Sales have dropped sharply at Wendy's fast food restaurants in the area of northern California where a woman claimed she found part of a finger in a bowl of chili, but analysts say the company's long-term prognosis should not be affected.
The photo doesn’t look like a finger, but then again, it's been a long time since I've had a strange finger in my mouth. :o

[paulie jay]

Gee, talk about taking the term "finger bowl" to the extreme!

Over here Wendy's sell icecreams and shakes, but no chilli!

[Wally]

The whole chilli, salad, etc. thing is making it big time over here with the fast food changes.

The whole finger thing is pretty gross. I read they know it belongs to a female, because the fingernail was manicured. . .

. . . (quick, Candy. Find me a puking emoticon!)

[Maksutov]

Guess what I had for lunch today?

Always wondered why Wendy's chile tasted hand-made. Perhaps they could add a new slogan, but KFC already has "finger-lickin' good". Let's see, "Wendy's for people with good taste, and people who taste good." perhaps? That has a "ring" to it. Or maybe, "Wendy's: the fresh food joint."

Another discovery like this and Wendy's regulars will start calling themselves "knuckleheads"!

[Jpax2003]

Finger Found! (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1371012/posts)
Sales have dropped sharply at Wendy's fast food restaurants in the area of northern California where a woman claimed she found part of a finger in a bowl of chili, but analysts say the company's long-term prognosis should not be affected.
The photo doesn’t look like a finger, but then again, it's been a long time since I've had a strange finger in my mouth. :onever had finger food?

[Grendl]

Well, it sure resembles Ladyfingers--a little confectioner's sugar and who would know the difference? :o

http://www.joyofbaking.com/images/ladyfingers.jpg
http://www.sbiladyfingers.com/images/ladyfingers.jpg

[Maksutov]

Well, it sure resembles Ladyfingers--a little confectioner's sugar and who would know the difference? :o [edit]
OK, why was it necessary to bring Thing's

http://img96.exs.cx/img96/6411/afthing26ch.th.jpg (http://img96.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img96&image=afthing26ch.jpg)

girlfriend into this mess?

Don't you realize that could mess up his short game, as well as his drive to work?

http://www.click-smilies.de/sammlung0304/sport/smilie_golf.gif

[Candy]

What's worse than finding a finger in your Wendy's chilli?
.
.
.
.
.
Finding half a finger.

Taken from the original link's comments.

[Candy]

This little piggy went to market, this little piggy went missing.......

Taken from the original link's comments. :lol:

[tmosher]

Shades of Upton Sinclair and The Jungle

[Jpax2003]

What I want to know is: What happened to the rest of the body that was attached to the finger? :-k

[tmosher]

What I want to know is: What happened to the rest of the body that was attached to the finger? :-k

You're better off not knowing.

[Jpax2003]

What I want to know is: What happened to the rest of the body that was attached to the finger? :-k

You're better off not knowing.Shades of Tony Soprano...

[Ilya]

What I want to know is: What happened to the rest of the body that was attached to the finger? :-k

You're better off not knowing.Shades of Tony Soprano...

"There are only two reliable ways to get rid of a body in a city, and I do not think you have two bottles of relish."

Lady Slings the Booze, by Spider Robinson

[Celestial Mechanic]

What I want to know is: What happened to the rest of the body that was attached to the finger? :-k
This is my conjecture: the woman who lost part of her finger was an illegal alien working at a packing plant and did not report her accident because doing so might bring attention to her status. Since she did not report the accident, the meat was allowed into the marketplace. I'm sure that Wendy's, their suppliers, the USDA and OSHA are tracing their way back through the supply chain and we'll know in a few weeks where the delinquent digit came from.

[tmosher]

What I want to know is: What happened to the rest of the body that was attached to the finger? :-k

You're better off not knowing.Shades of Tony Soprano...

I am half-Italian and my nick-name is Tony.

[Brady Yoon]

What I want to know is: What happened to the rest of the body that was attached to the finger? :-k
This is my conjecture: the woman who lost part of her finger was an illegal alien working at a packing plant and did not report her accident because doing so might bring attention to her status. Since she did not report the accident, the meat was allowed into the marketplace. I'm sure that Wendy's, their suppliers, the USDA and OSHA are tracing their way back through the supply chain and we'll know in a few weeks where the delinquent digit came from.

I agree. But how would her finger get cut off and she not say anything about it? I would say that's a major injury.

[Jpax2003]

What I want to know is: What happened to the rest of the body that was attached to the finger? :-k

You're better off not knowing.Shades of Tony Soprano...

I am half-Italian and my nick-name is Tony.No offense intended. I just seem to remember an episode of The Sopranos where they dispensed of "evidence" in such a fashion.

[tmosher]

What I want to know is: What happened to the rest of the body that was attached to the finger? :-k

You're better off not knowing.Shades of Tony Soprano...

I am half-Italian and my nick-name is Tony.No offense intended. I just seem to remember an episode of The Sopranos where they dispensed of "evidence" in such a fashion.

No offense taken.

A couple of the 'boys' will be by for an apology. :D

[R.A.F.]

But how would her finger get cut off and she not say anything about it? I would say that's a major injury.

Yeah, lots of bleeding, lots of screaming...and no one else noticed??

It sounds like an urban legend, or a hoax.

[01101001]

Hmm...

CNN (http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/04/08/wendy.finger.ap/)

The woman who claims she bit into a human finger while eating chili at a Wendy's restaurant has a history of filing lawsuits -- including a claim against another fast-food restaurant.
San Jose police have joined the Las Vegas police fraud unit in the investigation into how a 1 1/2-long fingertip ended up in Ayala's bowl of chili at the San Jose Wendy's on March 22.

[Frog march]

But how would her finger get cut off and she not say anything about it? I would say that's a major injury.

Yeah, lots of bleeding, lots of screaming...and no one else noticed??

It sounds like an urban legend, or a hoax.

she probably fainted and was then dragged into an corner until they could get the first aid. The people employing may have been aware of her illegal status and have given her some money and a month off.

[Celestial Mechanic]

This is my conjecture: the woman who lost part of her finger was an illegal alien working at a packing plant and did not report her accident because doing so might bring attention to her status.[Snip!]
I agree. But how would her finger get cut off and she not say anything about it? I would say that's a major injury.
Obligatory Monty Python quote!
It's just a flesh wound!
:lol:

[Brady Yoon]

Hey, it's all meat, isn't it? :oops:

[mickal555]

What does wendy's sell?

We have them but they are Ice cream.

Is it the same wendy's?

[Wolverine]

What does wendy's sell?

Here's a menu (http://www.wendys.com/food/Menu.jsp).

[R.A.F.]

But how would her finger get cut off and she not say anything about it? I would say that's a major injury.

Yeah, lots of bleeding, lots of screaming...and no one else noticed??

It sounds like an urban legend, or a hoax.

she probably fainted and was then dragged into an corner until they could get the first aid. The people employing may have been aware of her illegal status and have given her some money and a month off.

Even assuming all of that to be true...wouldn't the "people employing" have been just a "tad" curious as to what happened to the finger?? It just doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

Hmm...

CNN (http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/04/08/wendy.finger.ap/)

The woman who claims she bit into a human finger while eating chili at a Wendy's restaurant has a history of filing lawsuits -- including a claim against another fast-food restaurant.
San Jose police have joined the Las Vegas police fraud unit in the investigation into how a 1 1/2-long fingertip ended up in Ayala's bowl of chili at the San Jose Wendy's on March 22.

Fraud...now that makes sense...

[farmerjumperdon]

Based on the research of Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), it is entirely possible that the finger did come from up the meat supply line. Covered up accidents were quite common at the time for the reasons already given. I would think they have cleaned up their act a bit, but all the same motivations are still in place. Then again, it could be a complete fraud. When I managed a steak house in Phoenix we had occassional claims of foriegn objects, and some of them were really hard to believe. One lady claimed to have bitten down on a rock in her salad, which looked exactly like the rocks in our landscaping. We never argued, just gave them their meal for free and a gift certificate. Of course the salad bar attendant could have put it their as a practcal joke. I once got a burger at a McDs drive thru that had a perfectly shaped huge bite taken out of it. You never know, and if they don't find solid evidence (or ground up evidence) up the supply line, we never will know for sure.

[tmosher]

Hmm...

CNN (http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/04/08/wendy.finger.ap/)

The woman who claims she bit into a human finger while eating chili at a Wendy's restaurant has a history of filing lawsuits -- including a claim against another fast-food restaurant.
San Jose police have joined the Las Vegas police fraud unit in the investigation into how a 1 1/2-long fingertip ended up in Ayala's bowl of chili at the San Jose Wendy's on March 22.

Now if this woman is pulling off fraud, where did she get that finger from?

[Candy]

Now if this woman is pulling off fraud, where did she get that finger from?
Maybe, she had 6 fingers on one hand. :o

[Brady Yoon]

Now if this woman is pulling off fraud, where did she get that finger from?
Maybe, she had 6 fingers on one hand. :o

Uhoh, polydactly...

[Nicolas]

you give them a finger and they'll take... :roll: :D

[beskeptical]

The whole chilli, salad, etc. thing is making it big time over here with the fast food changes.

The whole finger thing is pretty gross. I read they know it belongs to a female, because the fingernail was manicured. . .

. . . (quick, Candy. Find me a puking emoticon!)I don't know why any one would use a manicure to ID a finger. You can look at the xx chromosome with a simple chemistry test.

If it is fraud the finger could have come from hospital biohazard waste. But that would be pretty stupid if a fingerprint can be traced to someone. On the other hand, everyone's prints are not on file.

I've seen fingers cut off in lawn mower accidents and a friend of mine lost his when he fell off a ladder and his wedding band caught on something on the way down. So opportunities could present themselves in various ways.

If one lost a finger in the processing plant I hardly think an employer is going to say don't tell anyone. The person trying to cover up such an accident would have to keep the worker from going to the hospital. Once in the hospital this kind of injury gets reported to the state industrial insurance system. Otherwise the worker or someone would be paying the ED bill.

I'm going to bet on the fraud explanation. I think most of the large items like a mouse in a coke bottle have turned out to be fraud. A finger is pretty hard not to notice when a worker is putting the chili in the container.

[farmerjumperdon]

Don't think for a minute that such an accident is so serious it couldn't be covered up. Stuff like this used to routinely go unreported until just a few years ago. The slaughterhouses had their own "doctors" whose job it was to placate the injured, after bandaging them up of course, and keep the lines moving. A hacked off finger, much less one knuckle's worth of finger, was not a big deal.

[Candy]

Don't think for a minute that such an accident is so serious it couldn't be covered up. Stuff like this used to routinely go unreported until just a few years ago. The slaughterhouses had their own "doctors" whose job it was to placate the injured, after bandaging them up of course, and keep the lines moving. A hacked off finger, much less one knuckle's worth of finger, was not a big deal.
Is it true that when workers fall into those big grinders at pet food companies, the machines are not shut down? Just a rumor I heard along time ago. 8-[

[Nicolas]

Don't think for a minute that such an accident is so serious it couldn't be covered up. Stuff like this used to routinely go unreported until just a few years ago. The slaughterhouses had their own "doctors" whose job it was to placate the injured, after bandaging them up of course, and keep the lines moving. A hacked off finger, much less one knuckle's worth of finger, was not a big deal.
Is it true that when workers fall into those big grinders at pet food companies, the machines are not shut down? Just a rumor I heard along time ago. 8-[

I don't know, but how would they feel the difference between a human and a pig?

Though I assume that no parts containing bones may be put into that food these days...

[Candy]

Is it true that when workers fall into those big grinders at pet food companies, the machines are not shut down? Just a rumor I heard along time ago. 8-[

I don't know, but how would they feel the difference between a human and a pig?

Though I assume that no parts containing bones may be put into that food these days...
When I was little, I ate a piece of dog food. :o

[Jpax2003]

I found a metal burr stuck into the side of a bagel dog a year ago. A few months ago I found a wing of gnats buzzing around in a bread bag. I wasn't too surprised about the gnats as I used to work in a food warehouse. We also warehoused dog and cat food. What I found interesting was how quickly maggots would develop in the heat-exploded cans of pet food that were sealed in plastic. It was almost as if the eggs were already in the food...

I hope that was dry pet food you ate, Candy.

[Charlie in Dayton]

Don't think for a minute that such an accident is so serious it couldn't be covered up. Stuff like this used to routinely go unreported until just a few years ago. The slaughterhouses had their own "doctors" whose job it was to placate the injured, after bandaging them up of course, and keep the lines moving. A hacked off finger, much less one knuckle's worth of finger, was not a big deal.

Maybe not to the employers, but to the guy who lost 'em, it's a big deal.

Trust me on this one...I've won bar bets. I only can count to 9 1/2.

Think about it.

[beskeptical]

Don't think for a minute that such an accident is so serious it couldn't be covered up. Stuff like this used to routinely go unreported until just a few years ago. The slaughterhouses had their own "doctors" whose job it was to placate the injured, after bandaging them up of course, and keep the lines moving. A hacked off finger, much less one knuckle's worth of finger, was not a big deal.Are you talking about Sinclair Lewis' "The Jungle"? I think that era was more than a couple of years ago.

Toxin exposures, certainly but finger amputation? I find it a bit harder to believe an amputated finger would be bandaged and hidden. Do you have any documentation or evidence? Do you know how much pain one has after a finger amputation?

And I can't see how a finger would go from slaughterhouse to fast a food serving. There are quite a few steps in between. I've never had fast food chili with any whole pieces of meat even in it.

[beskeptical]

Don't think for a minute that such an accident is so serious it couldn't be covered up. Stuff like this used to routinely go unreported until just a few years ago. The slaughterhouses had their own "doctors" whose job it was to placate the injured, after bandaging them up of course, and keep the lines moving. A hacked off finger, much less one knuckle's worth of finger, was not a big deal.
Is it true that when workers fall into those big grinders at pet food companies, the machines are not shut down? Just a rumor I heard along time ago. 8-[ :lol: :lol:

[beskeptical]

What I found interesting was how quickly maggots would develop in the heat-exploded cans of pet food that were sealed in plastic. It was almost as if the eggs were already in the food...

If it was canned it would have been cooked. What makes the cans explode?

[beskeptical]

I don't know, but how would they feel the difference between a human and a pig?

Though I assume that no parts containing bones may be put into that food these days...There is no ban on bones in animal feed. There is supposed to be a ban on feeding sheep to cattle.

If it isn't a ban on all sheep parts then it would be a ban on brains, spinal cord and there is a particular process used to get every last bit off the spinal column that is not supposed to be used to prepare cattle feed. I'm not even sure if they banned using that process for cow meat prepared for humans. I think it is allowed still.

Just about anything can go into pet food. Euthanized pets are a popular ingredient. I won't buy dog food that uses euthanized pets. If anyone is interested I hunt up the web site that lists which products do.

Royal Canin brand doesn't. Most grocery store brands do.

[beskeptical]

Wendy's chili (http://www.recipesource.com/misc/copycat/wendys/00/rec0009.html) supposedly contains:

Ground beef, tomato sauce, kidney beans, pinto beans, Onion -- diced, Green chili -- diced, celery -- diced, Tomatoes -- chopped, and spices.

Cattle feed ban actually was not feeding cattle to cattle but here's how it is worded by the HHS. (http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2004pres/20040126.html)The third firewall is FDA’s 1997 animal feed ban, which is the critical safeguard to help prevent the spread of BSE through cattle herds by prohibiting the feeding of most mammalian protein to ruminant animals, including cattle. The fourth firewall, recently announced by USDA, makes sure that no bovine tissues known to be at high risk for carrying the agent of BSE enter the human food supply regulated by USDA.

[snip]

The first interim final rule will ban the following materials from FDA-regulated human food, (including dietary supplements) and cosmetics:

* Any material from “downer” cattle. (“Downer” cattle are animals that cannot walk.)
* Any material from “dead” cattle. (“Dead” cattle are cattle that die on the farm (i.e. before reaching the slaughter plant);
* Specified Risk Materials (SRMs) that are known to harbor the highest concentrations of the infectious agent for BSE, such as the brain, skull, eyes, and spinal cord of cattle 30 months or older, and a portion of the small intestine and tonsils from all cattle, regardless of their age or health; and
* The product known as mechanically separated beef, a product which may contain SRMs. Meat obtained by Advanced Meat Recovery (an automated system for cutting meat from bones), may be used since USDA regulations do not allow the presence of SRMs in this product.A lot of web sites claim the rules only involve labeling of feed and not banning of ingredients but I didn't look into the claims.

[Candy]

It was almost as if the eggs were already in the food...

I hope that was dry pet food you ate, Candy.
I thought there were maggot eggs in everything (even humans). Perhaps, that's why there is an expiration date on certain foods (before the little buggers start hatching).

beskeptical probably knows more about this than I.

Mmmmm, it was one crunchy piece of dog food. :wink:

[beskeptical]

It was almost as if the eggs were already in the food...

I hope that was dry pet food you ate, Candy.
I thought there were maggot eggs in everything (even humans). Perhaps, that's why there is an expiration date on certain foods (before the little buggers start hatching).

beskeptical probably knows more about this than I.

Mmmmm, it was one crunchy piece of dog food. :wink:I hope there aren't maggot eggs in everything. There shouldn't be any on your body unless you let the flies land on you and don't shower very often.

Anything cooked will not have live eggs even if they are there. So there might be eggs in dog food but the eggs shouldn't be hatching.

On the other hand, there shouldn't be fly eggs in most food with the exception of fruit flies in your fresh fruit.

Those forensic cases on TV say the eggs will be laid within hours of a body being left out. Maybe even less than an hour.

[Candy]

Speaking of gross, back in high school, I was eating a reese's cup. I bit into half of it, and went to eat the other half. I saw something moving. There was a milworm in my reese's. :o

[farmerjumperdon]

You definitely do not need to go back to the days of Sinclair Lewis to find accidents being covered up. And yes I meant routine in the way that traffic accidents have become routine - they can of course be quite traumatic for those directly involved.

The book I mentioned, Fast Food Nation, covers all of the topics in this thread in very good detail. (Animals being fed to animals, the "secret" ingredients, history of meat processing, etc.). It is a facsinating book.

There is more stuff in food than most could probably imagine. It would be impossible to keep everything out without driving the cost of the final product through the roof. A couple friends of mine worked at a frozen pizza factory. The reclamation process was something I did not want to hear, not to mention the tolerated levels of certain contaminants - such as rodent hair.

Anybody that has worked in the business of commercial food can attest to this stuff - from the slaughterhouse workers to a mischevious teen selling you popcorn at the concession stand.

:oops:

[Candy]

Anybody that has worked in the business of commercial food can attest to this stuff - from the slaughterhouse workers to a mischevious teen selling you popcorn at the concession stand.

:oops:
Mmmmmmm, salty. :o

[farmerjumperdon]

OK, I can't resist. Working the concession stands at one of the Chicago-area tracks (horse-racing), we used to perform all kinds of "science" experiments with the popcorn making. (Pronounce science the way Thomas Dolby does).

I won't tell you the nasty stuff - the statutes may not have run out on them, but one of the coolest was melting a full-size Milky Way bar into the oil. The popcorn came out a beautiful brown speckled color - no chocolate taste though - failed experiment.

Funny thing is that for all the really wild stuff we did, the only trouble we got into was a drunk who tried to knife me because there were too many seeds in his popcorn. After the guards pinned him down I felt like telling him what he had REALLY been eating.

Never saw the knifist again. The guards were pretty cool dudes but kind of different. These places handles millions in cash and have their own police force on-site. I think the guards beat the snot out of him and threw him in a dumpster.

[Nicolas]

What were the seeds? 8-[

[farmerjumperdon]

Popcorn seeds. The guy thought there were too many unpopped kernels and was going to stab me for not doing a better job of popping all the kernels. Actually, the crux of the guy's ire was that he thought he had been singled out because he was black. I of course did not tell him that we sabotaged popcorn without regard for race, religion, ethnicity, sexual preference, etc. We would never violate someone's civil rights while attacking their snack food of choice.

It was a very scary moment, that I can laugh at now. I could not move any direction but forward, and he had a 4 inch pocket knife directly over my heart and touching my shirt. I was scared, but still thinking. I was measuring things up for a desparate move. I figured he was drunk and I could probably get my arm up between his arm and my body and force the knife away. Then I thought again about his size - he was pretty big - and thought he might just overpower my arm and plunge the knife in. But I was running out of examples of why I was not rascist (he actually gave me this chance to convince him), and he seemed to be geting irritated. Just as I was about to make my move (my revised plan was to throw all my weight on his knife arm, which was hanging over the siderail of the booth - I thought all my weight should surely break his arm), the guards moved in. My friend saw what was happening and took a break from doctoring the oil long enough to call them. They pinned his arms and took him to the floor in a very serious manner.

Weird - I remember it like it was yesterday - every last detail. Whiskey on his breath, the blue plastic inlay on the Cub Scout knife, the godawful smell of hot peanut oil, etc.

[Nicolas]

scary :( . What exactly had you "forced" to give the popcorn "extra seeds"?

[farmerjumperdon]

I don't understand the question. Just too many seeds in his box of popcorn. At the bottom of every batch there were always some unpopped seeds. He just got unlucky and got a box with a lot of seeds.

[Candy]

scary :( . What exactly had you "forced" to give the popcorn "extra seeds"?
Cooking the popcorn seeds in melted Milky Way (creamy nougat) oil probably didn't help. This is clearly an act of discreamination to me. 8-[

[Jpax2003]

What I found interesting was how quickly maggots would develop in the heat-exploded cans of pet food that were sealed in plastic. It was almost as if the eggs were already in the food...

If it was canned it would have been cooked. What makes the cans explode?I dunno, we figured it was overheating during transit. I think it usually came in on regular semi-trucks (some of them may have been container trucks), but it could have been the train which tended to get really hot inside the cars. The area we stored the canned goods was not cooled and they could have popped open while inside the warehouse. It was usually cans of Fancy Feast, but other Nestle owned pet foods sometimes broke open or expoded. I don't recall any human food ever suffering the same fate, unless it was broken from impact. The reason I think they exploded from the heat is that these were often cans in the middle of the case with plastic tight against the top rim. Sometimes I would unstack cases and find one rotting can of cat food where the goo from the can had never spilled over the rim because of the pastic wrap, suggesting that the maggots came from inside the can.

[farmerjumperdon]

Discreamination! Very good.

So let me get this straight: The goo was full of maggots, and they were still contained within the sealed plastic? Describe the plastic. The kind that is shrink fitted into a tight seal around the container lid. Or just a kind of wrap around the whole case. If it was just the case wrapping, I would not consider that as sealed.

I'd always thought anything canned must be really bacteria free prior to sealing, otherwise they would all explode from the growing "stuff" and buildup of gases that occors as the food rots. But maybe pet foods are different.

At any rate, I would think it would take a lot of heat to make them pop. Too bad I'm such a lazy researcher. Somebody should find out at what temperature the average can of canned goods pops. If it's really high, and not something likely to be attained in shipping, then they must have been batches of contaminated or improperly pasteurized food (right word?). Then, the maggots move in undeterred by the ineffective seal of the plastic wrap around the case.

Now, describe the maggots. Gray colored wrigglers, or the white inchworm type?

Just kidding.

[Nicolas]

Well, the Lying BABB Maggots (r) obviously are Grey! :D

[Doe, John]

BOT

I used to work at a Wendy's when I was in high school. The meat in the chili is the same meat as is put in the burgers. At least it was back then. Actually the meat in the chili was the burgers. If anybody remembers, the gimmick for Wendy's is that the hamburgers are always freshly cooked. Which means that the grill always has burgers cooking, since it takes approx 5-8 minutes to fully cook a burger. Which means that sometimes burgers get overcooked. Rather than throw them away, they are saved, boiled, and broken up with spatulas prior to being added to chili mix. The hamburger comes to the store in big plastic bags every few days and is formed into burgers in the morning. There's a special machine which stamps them out. There are safety guards in place, but with a little ingenuity it would be possible to get a finger caught in the machine. I would think that an amputated finger in a hamburger patty would be pretty obvious, but that's just me.

[AGN Fuel]

No need to speculate about how it got there. The process is graphically documented in the movie "Naked Gun" and results in Ricardo Montalban eating a finger-dog. :D :-#

[01101001]

The hamburger comes to the store in big plastic bags every few days and is formed into burgers in the morning. There's a special machine which stamps them out. There are safety guards in place, but with a little ingenuity it would be possible to get a finger caught in the machine. I would think that an amputated finger in a hamburger patty would be pretty obvious, but that's just me.

They checked the store employees' fingers -- all present and accounted for.

I think it was reported early that the finger probably didn't join the chili with the meat, but perhaps with a canned product like the tomato sauce or beans or with the other vegetables.

To me it seems like it would be more difficult to get a big old hunk of finger into the relatively fine-ground meat. It would have to enter the meat stream after the grinding. It seems like it would just more easily accompany the chunkier vegetables -- if it didn't come in through the front door of the restaurant in a plastic bag in you-know-who's pocket.

[Jpax2003]

Ok, So we know where the beef is, sothe question now becomes, "Where's the Long Pig?"

[beskeptical]

OK, I can't resist. Working the concession stands at one of the Chicago-area tracks (horse-racing), we used to perform all kinds of "science" experiments with the popcorn making. (Pronounce science the way Thomas Dolby does).

I won't tell you the nasty stuff - the statutes may not have run out on them, but one of the coolest was melting a full-size Milky Way bar into the oil. The popcorn came out a beautiful brown speckled color - no chocolate taste though - failed experiment.

Funny thing is that for all the really wild stuff we did, the only trouble we got into was a drunk who tried to knife me because there were too many seeds in his popcorn. After the guards pinned him down I felt like telling him what he had REALLY been eating.

Never saw the knifist again. The guards were pretty cool dudes but kind of different. These places handles millions in cash and have their own police force on-site. I think the guards beat the snot out of him and threw him in a dumpster.I don't doubt there is all sorts of crap in hot dogs and I'm sure there are occasional angry or sleazy food preparation workers. But reading something in a book doesn't make it so. Give me something that supports your assertion something as serious as a finger amputation in a packing house, slaughter house or where ever is often, frequently, or even rarely being covered up now.

[beskeptical]

I'd always thought anything canned must be really bacteria free prior to sealing, otherwise they would all explode from the growing "stuff" and buildup of gases that occors as the food rots. But maybe pet foods are different.Pet foods are no different. Canning foods requires they be canned sterile. I don't believe botulism toxin only affects humans.

[Jpax2003]

I'd always thought anything canned must be really bacteria free prior to sealing, otherwise they would all explode from the growing "stuff" and buildup of gases that occors as the food rots. But maybe pet foods are different.Pet foods are no different. Canning foods requires they be canned sterile. I don't believe botulism toxin only affects humans.You guys are absolutey right. The pet foods are supposed to be canned sterile...

[R.A.F.]

Give me something that supports your assertion something as serious as a finger amputation in a packing house, slaughter house or where ever is often, frequently, or even rarely being covered up now.

I must agree. I just don't see the advantage in covering something like this up. No matter where it might have happened in the "process" there would still be a missing finger. "Covering it up" without finding the finger makes no sense.

[farmerjumperdon]

beskeptical - Thank you for pointing out that just because something appears in a book doesn't make it so. I did not know that.

From your tone I suspect nothing short of being an eyewitness would satisfy your demand - that I can not provide.

The book I mentioned is chock full of statistics and references to the studies and research of many people - but it is just a book. Not to be believed - must have direct experience to believe anything. I suppose you don't believe anything Sinclair Lewis wrote - because it is JUST a book also.

For the record, I did not say it is happening or being covered up NOW. I said you don't have to go back to the days of Sinclair Lewis, and that the same motivations are still in place.

Read the posts before you give people the business, and also try being a little less condescending.

Weren't you the person that made some belittling comments when I said the .99999 thread was like watching a car accident happen? Right after that came the banning and unbanning. WOW! Am I one acutely objective observer capable of incredible insight or what?!?!?!?!?!?! I just gotta stay away from books.[/quote]

[Russ]

I tried to stay out of this discussion but y'all have goaded me into saying something.

I've been in the industrial controls business for the last 25 years. I've been in food processing plants, literally, hundreds of times. To name just a few Oscar Mayer, Hormel, Perdu, Campbells, Miller, Anhauser Bush, M&M Mars, General Mills, Kellogg, Frito-Lay, etc., etc., etc.

While it is possible for a finger to be cut off someones' hand and make it through the process to the consumter, IT IS EXTREMELY NOT PROBABLE. Which makes me think this Wendy's thing is a fraud 100%.

All of the people I've dealt with in these companies are EXTREMELY safety concious and the sterility procedures are prusued with great riggor. The reason for this is, these companies know that just one "Wendy's Event" will cost them 100 times whatever an injurty or contamination event will.

There are people in these plants whos' job is to go around continuously checking that all safety systems are working properly. There is also a similar person checking sanitation procedures. The workers are incentized to "Squawk" (their term) if they see anything, know of anything that is dangerous or unsanitary. This is suplemented by FDA, and State inspectors that pay surprise visits.

I will acknowledge that nothing is 100% effective. But I can assure you that if anyone had lost so much as a fingernail, let alone a finger, in one of the plants I've been in, the whole processing line would have been shut down until the body part was found and the contaminated produce was removed and taken care of.

Now with that said...there are other aspects of the food business that will make you blanch. I can tell you from first hand knowledge that there is nothing in a hotdog, sausage, lunchmeat, etc. that you can point to and say "that's meat". When they slaughter a cow, pig, whatever, they use everything but the mooo, oink or cluck. The only time they throw away a piece of a slaughtered animal is when it is contaminated or otherwise unusable. Even then it's not wasted. It is sold off for use in non-consumption products.

In short, I think this Wendy's thing is a hoax.

[farmerjumperdon]

Thank you Russ. That is pretty much what I was saying, that it probably was a fake, but you never know. My point about the same motivations being in place may have been construed as saying the same things that happened in the past are still happening. Thankfully, there are now motivations not to be sloppy and not to cover up hacked off fingers. Campbell's is motivated to not sell contaminated product at least or more so than they are motivated to keep the lines running. (Hey, lawyers are good for something after all). In the past the motivations were not so well balanced. These motivations continue to coexist today, as is evidenced by the occassional e coli breakout, and the body count that goes with them. If mass food processing techniques were perfect these things would b ydefinition never happen. Since they do happen, there are errors, covered up or not. Nothing speaks like results.

[jt-3d]

I can tell you from first hand knowledge that there is nothing in a hotdog, sausage, lunchmeat, etc. that you can point to and say "that's meat".

Thanks for confirming my worst fears. While I knew that there was some 'byproducts' in these things, I always thought they tossed some real food in there. I eat sausage and lunchmeat all the time with the occasional hot dog thrown in for a balanced diet. Truly ungreat news indeed! :)

[Jpax2003]

Russ forgot to mention something --sabotage. There are several known and probably more unknown instances where something was added to the mix intentionally by a disgruntled worker. I have a little first hand knowledge of this. I worked in a warehouse part-time while in college and there was one time we were instructed to locate all cases of baby formula in a specific batch because someone in the plant allegedly tainted it in retaliation for some grievance. That's what we were told anyways. I think some of it got out but the trucks were located and recalled before they made any stops. It was kept quiet and I don't think it was ever reported.

[Maksutov]

Russ forgot to mention something --sabotage. There are several known and probably more unknown instances where something was added to the mix intentionally by a disgruntled worker. I have a little first hand knowledge of this. I worked in a warehouse part-time while in college and there was one time we were instructed to locate all cases of baby formula in a specific batch because someone in the plant allegedly tainted it in retaliation for some grievance. That's what we were told anyways. I think some of it got out but the trucks were located and recalled before they made any stops. It was kept quiet and I don't think it was ever reported.
My second job in industry was in the QC department of an aluminum can factory. Some of the things we had to check for were, well, unusual, especially when it came to contamination. For instance it seemed that every few months someone would get terminated for urinating in cans stored in the warehouse. How management determined who the culprits were I'm not sure, but finding the "problem" pallets was usually pretty easy, especially in warm weather.

[Frog march]

tins of peas? :-?

[Jpax2003]

I always wondered why some cans are yellow in color.

[Maksutov]

tins of peas? :-?
Pretty close. A good percentage of the cans was for mass-produced American lager beers, so the "running" joke was no one would probably notice anyway. 8)

[beskeptical]

beskeptical - Thank you for pointing out that just because something appears in a book doesn't make it so. I did not know that.You cited the book as your source. A book is not a very direct source.

From your tone I suspect nothing short of being an eyewitness would satisfy your demand - that I can not provide.Well you would be wrong. So far you have only provided one source for your assertion:Based on the research of Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), it is entirely possible that the finger did come from up the meat supply line. Covered up accidents were quite common at the time for the reasons already given.and that source was the book, FFN. While the reviews say the book is well researched, you haven't cited any of the sources from the book, nor even any direct quotes from the book.

The book I mentioned is chock full of statistics and references to the studies and research of many people - but it is just a book. Not to be believed - must have direct experience to believe anything. I suppose you don't believe anything Sinclair Lewis wrote - because it is JUST a book also.You are quite defensive but despite what you have read into my posts, I have not attacked you personally. I do think your assertion, that a worker could lose a finger and an employer would cover it up to be unsupported. I have asked you to support that claim.

I don't have the book but I did find Eric Schlosser's Rolling Stone article on the web.

Rolling Stone magazine (USA), Issue 794, September 3rd 1998
Fast-Food Nation: Meat and Potatoes
By National Magazine Award winner Eric Schlosser (http://www.mcspotlight.org/media/press/rollingstone2.html)

In part two, worker safety is addressed and while he says injuries in slaughter houses are common, (no surprise there), Schlosser only mentions a person with a shoulder injury being seen by "the company doctor" and told it would get better which it didn't. There is nothing close to your assertion that a finger amputation would be covered up.

For the record, I did not say it is happening or being covered up NOW. I said you don't have to go back to the days of Sinclair Lewis, and that the same motivations are still in place.Schlosser's article in Rolling Stone was from 1999 and the book, 2002. So just when were you referring to if not now?

Read the posts before you give people the business, and also try being a little less condescending.I am not trying to be condescending, I am calling you on a single assertion. You have misinterpreted that as being condescending. I don't know anything about you but I assume you are very knowledgeable about many things. I learn from people pointing out potentially erroneous assumptions. I learn when I point out what I think is an erroneous assumption and find out it wasn't. If we just accept everything we know is correct we can have the same bad beliefs as those folks who don't believe in an evidence based world have.

Weren't you the person that made some belittling comments when I said the .99999 thread was like watching a car accident happen? Right after that came the banning and unbanning. WOW! Am I one acutely objective observer capable of incredible insight or what?!?!?!?!?!?! I just gotta stay away from books.I could find no posts at all on any of the three threads re 1 vs .99999 that I made. I certainly don't recall anything of the sort you are describing. Perhaps you could link to such a post so I might see what you are referring to. I do not belittle people. I do challenge common beliefs and other unsupported assertions quite often.

[A Thousand Pardons]

Weren't you the person that made some belittling comments when I said the .99999 thread was like watching a car accident happen? Right after that came the banning and unbanning. WOW! Am I one acutely objective observer capable of incredible insight or what?!?!?!?!?!?! I just gotta stay away from books.I could find no posts at all on any of the three threads re 1 vs .99999 that I made. I certainly don't recall anything of the sort you are describing. Perhaps you could link to such a post so I might see what you are referring to. I do not belittle people. I do challenge common beliefs and other unsupported assertions quite often.
Seems to be thinking of Disinfo Agent (http://www.badastronomy.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?p=431628&#431628). Still, I'm not sure I would call "Why is that?" a belittling comment.

On the other hand, "Following this thread is fun in a watching-a-car-crash sort of way" probably would stand up.

[jt-3d]

Ah, I've just recalled when I worked at a certain fried chicken store way back in 1975, I was showing a new girl how there was nothing to be affraid of while cutting chicken. She had the metal gloves, I didn't. So I grabbed up the leg and thigh and swiped it through the saw while reaching across the blade as opposed to standing in front of it. Well that blade grabbed that meat and sucked it through and took my hand with it. I got a big cut on my thumb knuckle before I could let go. Whatever pieces of my hide that may have gotten in with the chicken got cooked with the chicken. They didn't toss the birds. I don't know if they should have or not. Now if I'd cut my thumb off, ok then I'd say toss it. I'd also say some other words.

btw, I shugged it off and said she had gloves so nothing to be affraid of. I don't think I helped her any. Then the manager took me over to get stiches. I think she quit.

[Nicolas]

You take your practical jokes just too far :).

[Candy]

jt-3d :o

I used to get third degree burns on my knuckles all the time from the ovens at Domino's. I would have to keep them in Band-aid's most of the time. One day, while making pizza's, I lost a Band-aid. To this day, I have no idea where it went. :-"

[tmosher]

jt-3d :o

I used to get third degree burns on my knuckles all the time from the ovens at Domino's. I would have to keep them in Band-aid's most of the time. One day, while making pizza's, I lost a Band-aid. To this day, I have no idea where it went. :-"

That reminds me of the band-aid in the gumbo incident from many years ago. Long story short - we got our meals free (but we spent a stink load on drinks that night).

[Candy]

jt-3d :o

I used to get third degree burns on my knuckles all the time from the ovens at Domino's. I would have to keep them in Band-aid's most of the time. One day, while making pizza's, I lost a Band-aid. To this day, I have no idea where it went. :-"

That reminds me of the band-aid in the gumbo incident from many years ago. Long story short - we got our meals free (but we spent a stink load on drinks that night).
No one ever called. They did call when I lost a screw off of the pizza cutter. :oops:

[tmosher]

jt-3d :o

I used to get third degree burns on my knuckles all the time from the ovens at Domino's. I would have to keep them in Band-aid's most of the time. One day, while making pizza's, I lost a Band-aid. To this day, I have no idea where it went. :-"

That reminds me of the band-aid in the gumbo incident from many years ago. Long story short - we got our meals free (but we spent a stink load on drinks that night).
No one ever called. They did call when I lost a screw off of the pizza cutter. :oops:

Well...pizza is not supposed to supply a large part of your daily iron needs.

[Candy]

Woman Won't Sue Wendy's for Alleged Finger (http://dailynews.att.net/cgi-bin/news?e=pri&dt=050413&cat=strange&st=stranged89egpo g0&src=ap)
A woman who claimed she scooped up a human finger along with her chili at a Wendy's restaurant has decided not to sue the fast-food chain.

Anna Ayala dropped her claim because it "has caused her great emotional distress and continues to be difficult emotionally," said her attorney, Jeffrey Janoff.
Wendy's spokesman Denny Lynch declined to comment on Ayala's decision to drop the lawsuit but said a reward hot line to receive tips will remain open. Wendy's has offered $50,000 to the first person who can provide verifiable information that identifies the origin of the finger. What a nightmare for Wendy's. 8-[

[tmosher]

Wendy's spokesman Denny Lynch declined to comment on Ayala's decision to drop the lawsuit but said a reward hot line to receive tips will remain open. Wendy's has offered $50,000 to the first person who can provide verifiable information that identifies the origin of the finger.

What? Are they looking for the other nine? :D

[Nicolas]

Hey don't look at me! I only do arms! :D

[Sammy]

What? Are they looking for the other nine?

I suspect that they are convinced it was a plant, by the "victim" or someone else. They'll go after the perpetrator to make him/her an example and discourage anyone else from trying something like it.

[Candy]

What? Are they looking for the other nine?

I suspect that they are convinced it was a plant, by the "victim" or someone else. They'll go after the perpetrator to make him/her an example and discourage anyone else from trying something like it.
Phone calls to Ayala's house went unanswered Tuesday. Investigators searched her Las Vegas home last week as part of their investigation into how a finger ended up in the chili.
CSI Las Vegas 8)

[R.A.F.]

Anna Ayala dropped her claim because it "has caused her great emotional distress and continues to be difficult emotionally," said her attorney, Jeffrey Janoff.

What?? That's her excuse?? If her claim was true she was looking to make some big bucks...so "emotional distress" is the reason she doesn't want the money? Sounds like the same type of "excuse" given by applicants to the JREF prize. :)

[TriangleMan]

What?? That's her excuse?? If her claim was true she was looking to make some big bucks...so "emotional distress" is the reason she doesn't want the money? Sounds like the same type of "excuse" given by applicants to the JREF prize. :)
Maybe she was receiving lots of public accusations that she was somehow involved in this to get money from Wendy's. That and the police search would be enough to stress anyone out.

Anyone remember the "needle in the Pepsi can" scare/hoax?

[Candy]

What?? That's her excuse?? If her claim was true she was looking to make some big bucks...so "emotional distress" is the reason she doesn't want the money? Sounds like the same type of "excuse" given by applicants to the JREF prize. :)
Maybe she was receiving lots of public accusations that she was somehow involved in this to get money from Wendy's. That and the police search would be enough to stress anyone out.

Anyone remember the "needle in the Pepsi can" scare/hoax?
Or the Tylenol! :o

[01101001]

San Jose Mercury News (http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/11379842.htm) (Edit: free subscription required; the quote below is the good part)

But Anna Ayala's decision does not end the police investigation into how the finger got into the chili. In a strange twist, the news came on the same day the Mercury News learned of a late February incident in Pahrump, Nev., in which a spotted leopard bit off part of a finger -- about 1 1/2-inch worth -- of a woman who had been keeping the exotic cat and other animals.

The finger was reportedly not reattached, and San Jose police said they are investigating whether it is linked to the case.
Newspaper article said it was about the same length and had the same sort of jagged edge. I bet the DNA samples are a-cookin' right now.

[Candy]

San Jose Mercury News (http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/11379842.htm)
Need membership. I guess we know where you're from now. :wink:

[01101001]

San Jose Mercury News (http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/11379842.htm)
Need membership. I guess we know where you're from now. :wink:

Yeah. Sorry I couldn't find a non-subscription source. I'm sure it will be all over in a few hours. The part I quoted was the juciest.

[Jpax2003]

Here's a Chicago New Station's report (http://www.nbc5.com/irresistible/4374291/detail.html?z=dp&dpswid=1260382&dppid=65172) on the finger meets leopard incident.

[Candy]

Here's a Chicago New Station's report (http://www.nbc5.com/irresistible/4374291/detail.html?z=dp&dpswid=1260382&dppid=65172) on the finger meets leopard incident.
San Jose police are investigating the case of a woman who lost part of her finger in a leopard attack. The woman, who has several exotic animals, reportedly got the finger back in a bag of ice, after doctors couldn't re-attach it. She lives in a town about 45 miles north of Las Vegas.
"Can I please have my finger back for sentimental purposes, please." I really want to give it to my friend, so she can damage the reputation of a company just to get a few bucks. :evil:

[beskeptical]

news clip from Jpax's post (http://www.nbc5.com/irresistible/4374291/detail.html?z=dp&dpswid=1260382&dppid=65172)Wendy' s has maintained the finger allegedly found in the chili had not been cooked, and that it didn't enter the supply chain as part of its ingredients.

[snip]

...She later filed a claim with the franchise owner, Fresno-based JEM Management Corp., which her attorney had said was the first step before filing a lawsuit.

Court records show Ayala has a history of making legal claims against corporations, including a former employer, General Motors and a fast-food restaurant. She acknowledged receiving a settlement for medical costs a year ago after claiming that her daughter was sickened after eating at a Las Vegas restaurant.Finally, some sort of report the finger wasn't cooked. Next I'd like to know if it had been preserved in any kind of chemicals like formaldehyde.

And the second bit of info added to the fact this woman has backed off on suing after apparently intending to adds an awful lot of weight to the faked claim scenario. My guess is she'll be charged eventually. Anyone care to wager?

[Russ]

Thank you Russ. That is pretty much what I was saying, that it probably was a fake, but you never know. My point about the same motivations being in place may have been construed as saying the same things that happened in the past are still happening. Thankfully, there are now motivations not to be sloppy and not to cover up hacked off fingers. Campbell's is motivated to not sell contaminated product at least or more so than they are motivated to keep the lines running. (Hey, lawyers are good for something after all). In the past the motivations were not so well balanced. These motivations continue to coexist today, as is evidenced by the occassional e coli breakout, and the body count that goes with them. If mass food processing techniques were perfect these things would b ydefinition never happen. Since they do happen, there are errors, covered up or not. Nothing speaks like results.

Well their record speaks for itself. These companies pump out MILLIONS of units per year. Just think how rarely you hear about an error.

[Russ]

I can tell you from first hand knowledge that there is nothing in a hotdog, sausage, lunchmeat, etc. that you can point to and say "that's meat".

Thanks for confirming my worst fears. While I knew that there was some 'byproducts' in these things, I always thought they tossed some real food in there. I eat sausage and lunchmeat all the time with the occasional hot dog thrown in for a balanced diet. Truly ungreat news indeed! :)

Wellllllll...that isn't to say it's bad for you. Just about any part of an animal is edible and, if not bennificial, at least not harmful. :roll: The "byproducts" that these foods are made from, have been eaten by humans for thousands of years.

As a side note, I wonder just how hungry one must be to decide to find out if a certain cow part is edible? :o :lol:

[Russ]

Russ forgot to mention something --sabotage. There are several known and probably more unknown instances where something was added to the mix intentionally by a disgruntled worker. I have a little first hand knowledge of this. I worked in a warehouse part-time while in college and there was one time we were instructed to locate all cases of baby formula in a specific batch because someone in the plant allegedly tainted it in retaliation for some grievance. That's what we were told anyways. I think some of it got out but the trucks were located and recalled before they made any stops. It was kept quiet and I don't think it was ever reported.

Yeah! Thank heaven for batch and lot numbers!

[Russ]

How management determined who the culprits were I'm not sure, but finding the "problem" pallets was usually pretty easy, especially in warm weather.

Can you say "Security Cameras? ;) I got to see a "Greatest Hits" tape that a security department put together from evidence tapes used to fire the culprits. I mean, given that there was no effort to hide the cameras, you'd think people would be very disinclind to do these things!! :o :roll:

[Maksutov]

How management determined who the culprits were I'm not sure, but finding the "problem" pallets was usually pretty easy, especially in warm weather.

Can you say "Security Cameras? ;) I got to see a "Greatest Hits" tape that a security department put together from evidence tapes used to fire the culprits. I mean, given that there was no effort to hide the cameras, you'd think people would be very disinclind to do these things!! :o :roll:
Only thing is, this was the early 1970s, when security cameras and videotaping machines were big bucks, and the company's management was interested in spending as little money as possible while squeezing maximum profits out of old machines and poor quality products. Plus even if there had been cameras, there was no security force to monitor them. Anyone could waltz in and out of the place. The pilferage rate was pretty high.

[Wally]

I can tell you from first hand knowledge that there is nothing in a hotdog, sausage, lunchmeat, etc. that you can point to and say "that's meat".

Thanks for confirming my worst fears. While I knew that there was some 'byproducts' in these things, I always thought they tossed some real food in there. I eat sausage and lunchmeat all the time with the occasional hot dog thrown in for a balanced diet. Truly ungreat news indeed! :)

Wellllllll...that isn't to say it's bad for you. Just about any part of an animal is edible and, if not bennificial, at least not harmful. :roll: The "byproducts" that these foods are made from, have been eaten by humans for thousands of years.

As a side note, I wonder just how hungry one must be to decide to find out if a certain cow part is edible? :o :lol:

Some states (michigan being one of them) have very stringent rules as to what can go into processed meats. Supposedly, when eating hot dogs here, you're getting nuthin' but beef. No by-products allowed.

[beskeptical]

Some states (michigan being one of them) have very stringent rules as to what can go into processed meats. Supposedly, when eating hot dogs here, you're getting nuthin' but beef. No by-products allowed.So what is 'beef' and what is a 'byproduct' under the definition? Because if it were only the meat and fat you'd have hamburger.

[Russ]

Some states (michigan being one of them) have very stringent rules as to what can go into processed meats. Supposedly, when eating hot dogs here, you're getting nuthin' but beef. No by-products allowed.

I'll confess that I have not automated a packing plant in Mich. But I can say for the states I have worked in, they have "very stringent rules" as well. For instance, "All Beef Franks" means that anything in the hotdog must come from a "Bovine". The heart, lungs, esophagus, rumen (stomachs), upper intestine, liver, bile duct, cartelege, fat, muscle scraps, etc., from a cow, all count as "beef".

I did a kosher sausage line in New Jersey. That system would not, could not, process pork due to the "kosher" classification. I can vouch for the fact that pork never went into the machinery. I can also vouch for the fact that I never saw any "meat" go into the machines either.

I'd go into some of the other details but I don't want my fellow BABBers hurling on their keyboards.

[Candy]

I did a kosher sausage line in New Jersey. That system would not, could not, process pork due to the "kosher" classification. I can vouch for the fact that pork never went into the machinery. I can also vouch for the fact that I never saw any "meat" go into the machines either.

I'd go into some of the other details but I don't want my fellow BABBers hurling on their keyboards.
All I will eat are Kosher dogs. :o

[tmosher]

I did a kosher sausage line in New Jersey. That system would not, could not, process pork due to the "kosher" classification. I can vouch for the fact that pork never went into the machinery. I can also vouch for the fact that I never saw any "meat" go into the machines either.

I'd go into some of the other details but I don't want my fellow BABBers hurling on their keyboards.
All I will eat are Kosher dogs. :o

Daschund with a yarmulke?

Oy, vey is mir!

[beskeptical]

Of course Yahoo news is always timely with these items:

Hot Dogs (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=594&e=2&u=/nm/20050420/hl_nm/health_cancer_meat_dc) Raise Risk of Pancreatic Cancer - Study

[01101001]

Woman behind finger-in-chili claim arrested (http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7594873/)

The woman who claimed she found a well-manicured finger in her bowl of Wendy’s chili last month was arrested Thursday night in Las Vegas, police said.

Anna Ayala was taken into custody at her home, San Jose police spokesman Enrique Garcia said. Garcia said police would not give any further details about the arrest until a news conference Friday afternoon.

[beskeptical]

Woman behind finger-in-chili claim arrested (http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7594873/)

The woman who claimed she found a well-manicured finger in her bowl of Wendy’s chili last month was arrested Thursday night in Las Vegas, police said.

Anna Ayala was taken into custody at her home, San Jose police spokesman Enrique Garcia said. Garcia said police would not give any further details about the arrest until a news conference Friday afternoon.Oh I can't wait. Obviously they found the hand.

[jt-3d]

Haha, that's rich. Fraud is still a crime, folks and dropping the suit because it's causing you stress ain't going to make it go away. Cool.

[kucharek]

Woman behind finger-in-chili claim arrested (http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7594873/)

The woman who claimed she found a well-manicured finger in her bowl of Wendy’s chili last month was arrested Thursday night in Las Vegas, police said.

Anna Ayala was taken into custody at her home, San Jose police spokesman Enrique Garcia said. Garcia said police would not give any further details about the arrest until a news conference Friday afternoon.

This story seems to go into a direction I had expected from the beginning.

[pghnative]

Woman behind finger-in-chili claim arrested (http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7594873/)

The woman who claimed she found a well-manicured finger in her bowl of Wendy’s chili last month was arrested Thursday night in Las Vegas, police said.

Anna Ayala was taken into custody at her home, San Jose police spokesman Enrique Garcia said. Garcia said police would not give any further details about the arrest until a news conference Friday afternoon.Oh I can't wait. Obviously they found the hand.
Even though they arrested her, I don't see anywhere that the source of the finger has been found. Unless they just haven't released the info yet.

[pumpkinpie]

Woman behind finger-in-chili claim arrested (http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7594873/)

The woman who claimed she found a well-manicured finger in her bowl of Wendy’s chili last month was arrested Thursday night in Las Vegas, police said.

Anna Ayala was taken into custody at her home, San Jose police spokesman Enrique Garcia said. Garcia said police would not give any further details about the arrest until a news conference Friday afternoon.Oh I can't wait. Obviously they found the hand.
Even though they arrested her, I don't see anywhere that the source of the finger has been found. Unless they just haven't released the info yet.

The story above mentioned Wendy's efforts to find the source of the finger, including PIs and a $100,000 reward. It's hard to tell if that was in place before the arrest and just hasn't been lifted yet, or if that means they are still searching.

[tlbs101]

I could have guessed that lady would be arrested sooner-or-later, because the police were investigating (with just cause IMO).

My wife and I stopped at Wendys earlier this week and I ordered chili. When we pulled up to the drive-thru window I asked the girl if I could have extra fingers. The whole crew within earshot started laughing, and the girl said, "sorry sir, that's only in the California stores". :lol:

[Candy]

A co-worker of mine wondered if Wendy's would sue her, if she is found guilty.

What she did is just despicable. :evil:

[pumpkinpie]

A co-worker of mine wondered if Wendy's would sue her, if she is found guilty.

What she did is just despicable. :evil:

I agree. I can't believe all the media time (not to mention pages of posts here!) that was wasted on her stupid ploy to make a buck.

[Russ]

I told Y'all it was a hoax a Looooooong time ago.

[Celestial Mechanic]

A co-worker of mine wondered if Wendy's would sue her, if she is found guilty. What she did is just despicable. :evil:
As despicable as her actions were, what could Wendy's possibly gain by suing her? After all, their pockets are deeper than hers, which is probably what motivated her to do this.

Also, anytime a corporation/association sues an individual, it becomes perceived as a case of the mighty and powerful picking on the little guy. Look what happened when the RIAA recently sued 12 year-old girls and recently-dead octogenarians for file sharing. Wendy's has had enough bad publicity, why would they want more? The best thing for Wendy's is to let the criminal courts take their course.

[Candy]

A co-worker of mine wondered if Wendy's would sue her, if she is found guilty. What she did is just despicable. :evil:
As despicable as her actions were, what could Wendy's possibly gain by suing her? After all, their pockets are deeper than hers, which is probably what motivated her to do this.

Also, anytime a corporation/association sues an individual, it becomes perceived as a case of the mighty and powerful picking on the little guy. Look what happened when the RIAA recently sued 12 year-old girls and recently-dead octogenarians for file sharing. Wendy's has had enough bad publicity, why would they want more? The best thing for Wendy's is to let the criminal courts take their course.
Good questions and thoughts. :-k

[Darasen]

She's been fingered for the crime

[beskeptical]

She's been fingered for the crime :lol: No need to sue, the woman's been charged with grand larceny. Discouraging future fake lawsuits would be a very serious motive for Wendy's to press charges. I assume pressing charges would also be a part of this equation.

If they hadn't found the hand, then they still couldn't connect the finger to the chili eater. How could they rule out a disgruntled employee? Unless an accomplice like a disgruntled employee who assisted has confessed. That could have led to charges.

If I had lost a finger, I'd certainly come forward to claim the reward. Say the woman got the finger from hospital waste or something. If I were a friend who had given the woman the finger, :wink: , I'd come forward before I was implicated in the plot. Better to go for the reward than wait and be charged as an accomplice.

[Sammy]

Because of the all the publicity, sales at Wendys in the area declined quite a bit. Because of the decline, the corporation laid off workers.

These folks lost wages beacuse of what appears to be a criminal plan to extract money from Wendys. They may well try to sue the instigator to get their pound of flesh.

(Sorry, just couln't resist it) :oops:

[Demigrog]

Because of the all the publicity, sales at Wendys in the area declined quite a bit. Because of the decline, the corporation laid off workers.

These folks lost wages beacuse of what appears to be a criminal plan to extract money from Wendys. They may well try to sue the instigator to get their pound of flesh.

(Sorry, just couln't resist it) :oops:

And more to the point, the lawsuit would be covered by the media, helping Wendys reassure the public that it was indeed a hoax.

[jfribrg]

I don't think that you must have a fingerless hand in order to arrest her. If she was inconsistent in her story, they could get her on filing a false claim, even if you don't know which of her claims (if any) were true.
Perhaps she told some of her friends or tried to enlist them as accomplices. Perhaps she admitted that she lied. I guess we will know more later today.

I would suspect that even if charges are upheld, that Wendy's will sue her for millions. The main purpose is to scare other fraudsters from doing the same thing. About 10 years ago, someone claimed to have found a mouse in their food at some fast food chain. This was a couple of months after a legitimate claim of a mouse made the news. Eventually, the person was arrested, and also sued for a couple million dollars. The chain had no expectation of ever collecting the money, but they wanted to publicize how serious these false claims are. Nobody dared to file a false claim after that.....until now.

[01101001]

ANC News: Cops Nab Woman, Say Wendy's Finger a Hoax (http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=695277)

At a news conference, police refused to say where the finger came from and exactly how the hoax was carried out.

But according to a person knowledgeable about the case who spoke on condition of anonymity, the attempted larceny charge stemmed from San Jose police interviews with people who said Ayala described putting a finger in the chili. The source said the interviews were with at least two people who did not know each other and independently told similar stories.
Eww, I just noticed a graphic ad on that article, with a big picture of chef Emeril: See what's cooking on Good Morning America.

[Matherly]

I know it has been said before, but I want to say it myself...

What REALLY ****es me off is that good women and men were laid off / had their hours cut back so this woman could perpitrate what I'm sure she felt was a "victimless crime". I am sure there are people out there now in danger of losing their house or apartment, who are trying to figure out how to pay their utilities, and are at thier wits end with the turn thier life has taken all because of this money grubbing woman. Argh! it makes me mad.

What can I say, people who do things without any concern over how it will affect their fellow human beings just make me mad .

[Roving Philosopher]

From what I heard on the news, her arrest is unrelated to the Wendy's incident. Apparently several years ago, she sold a mobile home that didn't belong to her.

[01101001]

From what I heard on the news, her arrest is unrelated to the Wendy's incident. Apparently several years ago, she sold a mobile home that didn't belong to her.

San Jose Mercury:
Now as your press release notes, Anna Ayala was arrested last night at 8:15 p.m. at her Las Vegas residence on a $500,000 arrest warrant for one county of grand theft and one count of attempted grand theft. The attempted grand theft is related to the Wendy's incident, while the grand theft charge pertains to an unrelated incident involving an unlawful home purchase transaction.

[Candy]

From what I heard on the news, her arrest is unrelated to the Wendy's incident. Apparently several years ago, she sold a mobile home that didn't belong to her.

San Jose Mercury:
Now as your press release notes, Anna Ayala was arrested last night at 8:15 p.m. at her Las Vegas residence on a $500,000 arrest warrant for one county of grand theft and one count of attempted grand theft. The attempted grand theft is related to the Wendy's incident, while the grand theft charge pertains to an unrelated incident involving an unlawful home purchase transaction.
Sounds like she is going away for a very long time. 8-[

[kucharek]

This time it's for real:

That's not candy: Man finds finger inside dessert


http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/nation/11548012.htm

[A Thousand Pardons]

It asks me to register, but when I google "finger dessert", the link is the same, but no registration.

Happened in Wilmington NC, Sunday night.

[Maksutov]

This time it's for real:

That's not candy: Man finds finger inside dessert


http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/nation/11548012.htm

Here're the Google Ads that were on the same page as the article:

http://img127.echo.cx/img127/7681/icecream2eg.th.jpg (http://img127.echo.cx/my.php?image=icecream2eg.jpg)

#-o

[jt-3d]

Sufficiently vague. I call shinangans. Plus nobody else has picked up on it. I fear they have been had.

[Candy]

N.C. Man Finds Finger in Frozen Custard (http://dailynews.att.net/cgi-bin/news?e=pri&dt=050503&cat=strange&st=stranged89rehe 80&src=ap)
WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) - A man who ordered a pint of frozen chocolate custard in a dessert shop got a nasty surprise inside _ a piece of severed finger lost by an employee in an accident.
http://home.att.net/~candy.stair/sick.gif

[kucharek]

It asks me to register, but when I google "finger dessert", the link is the same, but no registration.

Happened in Wilmington NC, Sunday night.

You're right. I also got the link by googling. I guess, they check the referer to decide if you've to register or not.

[tmosher]

Chili finger linked to acquaintance of Ayala's husband (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/05/13/finger13.TMP)

[Candy]

Chili finger linked to acquaintance of Ayala's husband (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/05/13/finger13.TMP)
That's just one evil and wicked family! :evil:

[beskeptical]

Finally (http://www.badastronomy.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?p=454763&highlight=wendys#454763), some sort of report the finger wasn't cooked. Next I'd like to know if it had been preserved in any kind of chemicals like formaldehyde.

And the second bit of info added to the fact this woman has backed off on suing after apparently intending to adds an awful lot of weight to the faked claim scenario. My guess is she'll be charged eventually. Anyone care to wager?

Did I win any bets? :wink:

[01101001]

I'm wondering if the finger got dressed up in the process. The initial news reports were pretty consitently describing it as a well-manicured woman's finger. I wonder how a male paving-worker's finger came to appear that way.

Maybe he just had good grooming habits.

[beskeptical]

I'm wondering if the finger got dressed up in the process. The initial news reports were pretty consitently describing it as a well-manicured woman's finger. I wonder how a male paving-worker's finger came to appear that way.

Maybe he just had good grooming habits.Excellent point. I had forgotten that silliness. I said a high school chemistry level test can show xx or xy chromosomes. :roll:

[Candy]

I'm wondering if the finger got dressed up in the process. The initial news reports were pretty consitently describing it as a well-manicured woman's finger. I wonder how a male paving-worker's finger came to appear that way.

Maybe he just had good grooming habits.
I am now visualizing these folks sitting around drinking and laughing while painting the nail of a severed finger. :o

[jfribrg]

I kind of ignored this thread for a while. Reading over the posts, there were quite a few allusions to the author Sinclair Lewis. The correct author of "The Jungle" is Upton Sinclair, as tmosher stated on page 1 of this thread, and subsequently numerous posts refered to Sinclair Lewis.

Now that everyone is clear on that, I can get back on topic.

[jt-3d]

Which of course is yummy yummy finger food. mmmm mmm, does a body good.

[beskeptical]

I kind of ignored this thread for a while. Reading over the posts, there were quite a few allusions to the author Sinclair Lewis. The correct author of "The Jungle" is Upton Sinclair, as tmosher stated on page 1 of this thread, and subsequently numerous posts refered to Sinclair Lewis.

Now that everyone is clear on that, I can get back on topic.Eeek! My bad. I had a memory defect there. :oops:

[Maksutov]

One has to wonder if this NYC restaurant is considering changing their menu (or at least the name of this entrée). (http://www.storesonline.com/site/534303/product/11) :)

[Candy]

I saw a clip of the accused Ayala on TV. I swear she looked as if she were smiling for the camera. :-?

[A Thousand Pardons]

One has to wonder if this NYC restaurant is considering changing their menu (or at least the name of this entrée). (http://www.storesonline.com/site/534303/product/11) :)
And there's lady's fingers (http://www.foodreference.com/html/fladysfingers.html) and ladyfingers (http://www.joyofbaking.com/Ladyfingers.html).

but yeah, it gives new meaning to "finger food"

[kucharek]

Finger food seems to become mainstream... :&

Woman Files Fingertip Suit vs. Applebee's
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/28/AR2005062800994.html

[A Thousand Pardons]

and here (http://www.wwaytv3.com/Global/story.asp?S=3289152) is something I did not know about that incident in Wilmington NC--an employee had lost a fingertip to the same custard machine the year before.

Great. We can't play Jarts, but losing fingers while serving custard is OK.

[01101001]

San Jose NBC Channel 11: Suspects Plead Guilty In Chili Finger Case (http://www.nbc11.com/news/4954355/detail.html)

[Candy]

The Las Vegas couple accused of planting a piece of human finger in a bowl of Wendy's chili pleaded guilty Friday in a San Jose courtroom.

Anna Ayala, 39, and her husband, Jaime Placencia, 43, pleaded guilty to all charges without any conditions in Santa Clara County Superior Court.

Coming into the hearing, Ayala was facing a maximum possible sentence of nine years and eight months in prison. Placencia has been facing more than 13 years in prison but he has additional, unrelated charges against him for allegedly failing to pay child support.

The couple allegedly sought to swindle money out of the fast food chain by planting a piece of human finger in a bowl of chili that Ayala ordered at the Wendy's on Monterey Road in San Jose on March 22.

Authorities focused on the couple after learning that they had filed multiple lawsuits seeking money from big businesses prior to the Wendy's incident. Investigators ultimately traced the piece of finger to a former co-worker of Placencia's who claims to have sold it to him.

I thought this happened awhile back. The guy that was the owner of the finger apologized a lot to Wendy's.

[Gillianren]

maybe, but it's still a crime. people don't just have to apologize for breaking the rules; often, they're punished for it. what they did was fraud, which is illegal.

[Candy]

Yes, I understand. Does anyone have recent links?

[Candy]

About the court cases - there are several going on...

:)

[banquo's_bumble_puppy]

hi Candy...

[Kebsis]

Wendy's will probably be happy to just let the law take care of her...

[genebujold]

I can't help but ask - who fingered them?

[Maksutov]

The long arm of the law touches finger people. (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/wendy_s_finger;_ylt=Ai934FK_f6hBAbUfDMEty42s0NUE;_ ylu=X3oDMTA2Z2szazkxBHNlYwN0bQ--)

Now for the appeal cycle, I would guess. :wall:

[Candy]

That's a very flattering photo, Anna Ayala! :liar:

Although authorities suspected a hoax — in part because the finger was not cooked — word of the stomach-turning find quickly spread around the world. The Dublin, Ohio-based fast food chain claimed it lost $2.5 million in sales because of the bad publicity, and dozens of workers at the company's Northern California franchises were laid off.
I don't remember the cooked part during the initial reports. I think that should have been something reported right away. Perhaps, Wendy's wouldn't have suffered such great losses. :think:

[Nowhere Man]

I suppose one could say, "Justice has been served."

With a side of fries? :)

Fred

[Titana]

The first thing that came to my mind when reading the first post is that the couple had did it. I don't believe that the employee who prepared and served the Chile would not have noticed a finger that size in the bowl.

There was a time that one of the restaurants near where i lived was shut down because a couple of people had said they found a cockroach in their dinner. Later it was proved that the people who claimed finding the insects in their food had deliberately taken in with them a dead cockroach and when they were "almost done eating"" they would throw the cockroach in the plate and argue that they were not going to pay for the food.


Titana

[jrkeller]

There was a time that one of the restaurants near where i lived was shut down because a couple of people had said they found a cockroach in their dinner. Later it was proved that the people who claimed finding the insects in their food had deliberately taken in with them a dead cockroach and when they were "almost done eating"" they would throw the cockroach in the plate and argue that they were not going to pay for the food.

That incident is right out of some 80's movie.

[farmerjumperdon]

We had a small number of similar incidents when I was managing a steakhouse restaurant. One person claimed to have bitten a rock in their salad. The rock looked just like the ones in the landscaping around the restaurant. I gave them their meal free just to avoid the hassle. Another was a person that found a hunk of glass in their salad. It did look like it came from the top rim of our beer mugs, but we never found a mug with a chunk missing from the rim. Another free dinner for 2. Never saw either couple again.

[SeanF]

That incident is right out of some 80's movie.
Angel did it in an old episode of The Rockford Files.

Oh, the things that stick in this brain of mine!

[Titana]

That incident is right out of some 80s movie.




Movie?? Never ever saw a movie on that. Got a link?


It happened here in a Chinese restaurant.




Titana.

[Candy]

Woman Claims Sundae Tainted With Blood (http://dailynews.att.net/cgi-bin/news?e=pri&dt=060123&cat=strange&st=stranged8f8krug0&src=ap)
"I hope she gets the same thing the Wendy's lady got," he said, referring to a woman recently sentenced to nine years in prison for planting a severed finger in a bowl of Wendy's chili to extort money from the fast-food chain.
Hey, the Wendy's lady is getting some publicity.

[01101001]

Chicago Sun Times: Woman claims she found finger in Subway sandwich (http://www.suntimes.com/news/nation/105990,CST-NWS-finger22.article)

CHOWCHILLA, Calif. -- Health officials are investigating a woman's claim that she found part of a human finger in a Subway [brand] sandwich.
Two health inspectors visited the Subway restaurant Thursday in Chowchilla after the woman reported finding what appeared to be a half-inch piece of a finger Wednesday, Madera County Environmental Health Department officials said.

The inspectors did not find evidence that a restaurant worker had lost part of a finger, but it was sent to a lab for testing, she said.

California fast-food restaurants: get more for your money.

[Serenitude]

And now, the good news:

They now make Vanilla Frosties :clap: :dance:

[Kebsis]

Makes it much easier to see the fingers in it.