Accrington Web - Chilli Anyone ?

Finger con carne

A woman got more than she bargained for when she ordered a bowl of chilli in a California restaurant - and found a human finger in her food.

The diner was forced to spit out the extra digit in her dinner during an unhappy visit to a Wendy's restaurant in San Jose.

Worryingly, the origin of the finger and how it became part of the meal remains unknown, but health officials are investigating.

Santa Clara county health officer Dr Martin Fenstersheib confirmed that the woman, who wants to remain anonymous, was left shaken up by her experience and had vomited a number of times since her unexpected finger feast.

"I had to confirm it to her that she had indeed put a piece of a human finger in her mouth," Dr Fenstersheib said.

"She kind of lost it. [She was] emotionally distraught ... due to the unpleasant sensation of having this in her mouth."

The health officer also confirmed that all members of the restaurant's staff still had all their fingers intact and suggested that the finger may have belonged to a woman based on the length of the nail.

The health risk of the incident is said to be minimal, but the woman is likely to have tests to ensure that she has not picked up any diseases.

Wendy's restaurant was open yesterday after Tuesday night's unusual occurrence and business appeared to be largely unaffected - with chilli still on the menu