Customer Fined $500 for Swallowing Human Toe in Canadian Bar
An American man was fined $500 Saturday night after he swallowed a beloved human toe belonging to a Canadian bar.
The Downtown Hotel in Dawson City, Yukon apparently has a “famous Dawson City tradition” which involves drinking a shot of Yukon Gold whiskey with a withered old toe inside. In order to properly enjoy the “Sourtoe Cocktail,” the customer must touch their lips to the toe, which has been dehydrated and preserved in salt. To prevent theft or swallowing, the bar established a $500 fine.
According to Terry Lee, the bar's “toe captain” on duty that night, an American decided a simple lip touch wasn't enough, so he gulped down the entire toe. Lee told the CBC that the American, who reportedly had just collected his rent deposit, then placed the $500 fine in cash on his table and left.
Since the tradition began in 1972, an estimated 60,000 people have tried the Sourtoe Cocktail. The toe has been replaced eight times, due to theft, misplacement, or swallowing, though Lee says this is the first time its been swallowed intentionally.
Fortunately for future foot fetishists, the hotel had a back-up toe, though this is their last one (they're hoping for additional donations); to prevent another intentional swallowing, the hotel has raised the fine to $2,500.
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