# Wendy's gives a woman the finger! In their chili! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 24, 2005, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029 "2005-03-24T13:17:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/41 "2005-03-24T18:39:15Z")
Since this is local to me, I heard about this the day before it hit all the national news services. 1 - About 10 hours after the first reports, there were follow up news items that health authorities had confirmed it was indeed a finger. At this point, I’m willing to accept that there was something identified as a severed finger recovered from the scene. 2 - The question about fingerprints has been raised. Authorities have been quoted as saying that because the finger had been cooked, it may be difficult to recover prints from it, but they’ll try. 3 - Given the process for Wendy’s chili, there are at least 3 possibilities: A - it was in the packaged stuff they add the meat to. Sounds most likely to me. B - it’s a very nasty prank by one of the employees at that Wendy’s. It’s not a mishap involving one of the employees. The Mercury had a quote by the investigators that they checked, and all the employees were accounted for and had all 10 fingers. C - it was planted by the customer to raise a lawsuit. Since the accounts all say the customer in question vomited, she at least put a serious effort into it, if this is the case. Also, accounts say the finger had obviously been cooked. B and C leave us wondering where the hell they got the finger. ---
**Author:** ![Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazon_Floozy_Goddess)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/42 "2005-03-24T18:49:14Z")
That afternoon, the Wendy’s employee happened to glance at his hand. “Shit! My finger’s missing!” He exclaimed. “I wonder where it is??” Meanwhile… ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/43 "2005-03-24T18:56:08Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Nope, still don’t get it. I guess I’ll remain whooshed. Well, if a dish has a finger in it, it can’t be called vegetarian anymore. That’s all. Just a simple joke. Not terribly funny, even. on preview, I see I’m sarnath’d by revtim. Oh well. Jokes get funnier with each explanation, right? 🙂 (Smilie added to reinforce that the preceding sentence was also a joke.) ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/44 "2005-03-24T19:10:25Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > … > B and C leave us wondering where the hell they got the finger. If I were police, I’d be checking to see if any employee (or the customer) had any friends or relatives who worked at a hospital, morgue, or funeral home. Although I think you’re probably right that scenario A is the likeliest. ---
**Author:** ![Earthworm\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f07891/32.png) [@Earthworm\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthworm_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/45 "2005-03-24T19:42:03Z")
Mmmm…mysterious finger chili. That’ll go good with one of their triple bacon cheeseburgers. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/46 "2005-03-24T20:26:05Z")
Serves 'em right for importing Norwegian beef. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/47 "2005-03-24T20:29:53Z")
Damn Americans and their culture of entitlement! That’s was a perfectly good finger, and she just let it go to waste! What, some extra protein’s not good enough for your refined tastes? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/48 "2005-03-24T20:32:18Z")
Oh I love the new crisp finger cheddar ranch… ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/49 "2005-03-24T20:42:34Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > B and C leave us wondering where the hell they got the finger. And possibility **A** doesn’t make you wonder how a finger got into a package of chili mix? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/50 "2005-03-24T21:04:15Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > The Mercury had a quote by the investigators that they checked, and all the employees were accounted for and had all 10 fingers. Meaningless. How many fingers did they have to start with? Maybe Hannibal Lecter was working there part-time. ---
**Author:** ![harmless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/2acd7d/32.png) [@harmless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmless)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/51 "2005-03-24T21:05:16Z")
> [@adam yax](#): > > [Peter Griffin] I got it on eBay. [/PG] Probably from [this auction](http://www.whattheheck.com/ebay/fingers.html). 😉 ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/52 "2005-03-24T21:19:50Z")
Well, I _used to_ like Wendy’s chilli. I liked it when it came with the big chunks of meat you had to fish around for. Now? Not so much. I guess it’s back to getting a side salad instead of fries for me. Chilli should not be a finger food. I wonder if that particular Wendys is still selling chilli. No matter how much they’ve cleaned everything, I can’t imagine that anyone could enjoy their chilli while thinking about finding a finger in it. Maybe they should just add Vienna sausages (those little cocktail weiners) to all their chilli so as to camouflage the occasional dismembered digit. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/53 "2005-03-24T23:43:53Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > I wonder if that particular Wendys is still selling chilli. No matter how much they’ve cleaned everything, I can’t imagine that anyone could enjoy their chilli while thinking about finding a finger in it. Yeah, but what are the odds of lightning striking twice in the same place? That Wendy’s is probably your best bet from now on if you want to enjoy finger-free food fun. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/54 "2005-03-25T01:13:56Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Meaningless. How many fingers did they have to start with? > > … Aha! So we’re looking for a six-fingered man who now only has five-fingers! Well, ten total. Perhaps Inigo Montoya can help? ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/55 "2005-03-25T01:50:40Z")
One of my coworkers was born with 11 fingers; he had the extra thumb chopped off many years ago tough… ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/56 "2005-03-25T02:03:42Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > Well, if a dish has a finger in it, it can’t be called vegetarian anymore. That’s all. Just a simple joke. Not terribly funny, even. > > on preview, I see I’m sarnath’d by revtim. Oh well. Jokes get funnier with each explanation, right? 🙂 (Smilie added to reinforce that the preceding sentence was also a joke.) Don’t feel bad. The joked died a noble death, saving me from a whooshing. Just don’t tell the authorities I killed it. ---
**Author:** ![Kiminy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Kiminy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiminy)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/57 "2005-03-25T02:12:04Z")
> [@](#): > > Officials counted all the fingers of the Wendy’s workers – and say none had a missing digit. Authorities think the finger must have come from one of Wendy’s suppliers. This statement from [http://www.thewmurchannel.com/news/4313153/detail.html](http://www.thewmurchannel.com/news/4313153/detail.html) really befuddles me. HOW would it be possible for an employee on shift at that time to have lost a finger, without ANYONE at the store knowing it. It must have hurt to have the finger cut off, by accident or on purpose, and I can’t imagine how it would have happened quietly… This statement alone makes me suspect that it wasn’t Wendy’s fault, but that the someone else stuck the finger in the chili, if there was ever a finger in it in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![FellowshipoftheBling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/47e85d/32.png) [@FellowshipoftheBling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FellowshipoftheBling)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/58 "2005-03-25T02:43:48Z")
> [@Ale](#): > > One of my coworkers was born with 11 fingers; he had the extra thumb chopped off many years ago tough… Hmmm and where was he on the day in question? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/59 "2005-03-25T03:00:47Z")
Okay, I got it: I love the Tender Crisp Finger Cheddar Ranch the fingers grow on trees There’s tumbleweeds of fingernails and hangnails paves the streets That sucks, but it was the best I could do. ---
**Author:** ![GawnFishin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9bcb4/32.png) [@GawnFishin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GawnFishin)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/60 "2005-03-25T03:25:17Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > C - it was planted by the customer to raise a lawsuit. **Since the accounts all say the customer in question vomited, she at least put a serious effort into it, if this is the case.** Also, accounts say the finger had obviously been cooked. Oh come now, it’s the natural gag reflex that comes from sticking a finger down your throat. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029.md?page=4)