Woman bites into finger at San Jose restaurant
Maria Alicia Gaura, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
A diner bit into a segment of human finger while digging into a bowl of chili at a San Jose Wendy's restaurant Tuesday night, Santa Clara County health officials said today.
The woman, who asked officials not to name or even describe her, spit out the well-cooked digit and reportedly warned other diners to stop eating. She then became sick to her stomach.
Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Martin Fenstersheib said today the woman was horrified "due to the unpleasant sensation of having this (object) in her mouth."
But he said the finger had been cooked at a high enough temperature to kill any viruses, including hepatitis or HIV, and it was unlikely that she will suffer any health effects from her experience, aside from psychological trauma.
The finger was described by Santa Clara County Medical Examiner Dr. Joseph P. O'Hara as cooked but not decomposed. The finger was found in two pieces, a one and three-eighths inch long fingertip complete with the skin whorls used in fingerprinting, and a half-inch long piece of fingernail. The joint appeared to have been torn off, possibly by manufacturing machinery, rather than cleanly cut. Because of its slightly longer than average length and neat grooming, it may have belonged to a woman, O'Hara said.
The restaurant at 1405 Monterey Highway was temporarily closed Tuesday night to allow health officials to impound the remaining chili, which was prepared on site, using a variety of ingredients. Health officials also seized all of the restaurant's remaining stock of ingredients, which will be inspected, and traced back to their manufacturer.
Since all of the workers at the restaurant were in possession "of all 10 of their fingers," health inspectors assume the finger likely entered the food chain as a result of the manufacturing process, according to county Environmental Resources Director Ben Gale.
Health inspectors said the restaurant appeared to be generally clean and well-maintained, with only one minor health violation having to do with a leaky vent.
Chef2Chef News Desk