A 51-year-old food delivery rider in Thailand fell seriously ill after discovering a dead house gecko hidden in his meal, raising concerns about street food hygiene.
The incident, shared on Facebook on 16 January, involved Suthep, who had bought a popular breakfast dish — sticky rice with fermented pork — from a busy roadside stall while picking up his girlfriend from work.
He had nearly finished his meal at home when he noticed a small black object in the rice. Initially thinking it was mould, he and his girlfriend were horrified to find it was a dead house gecko.
The shock quickly caused physical symptoms. According to Thai outlet Naewna, Suthep began vomiting immediately and suffered severe diarrhoea for five hours, leaving him exhausted. He sought medical attention and was prescribed anti-nausea medication and rehydration salts, and he was given sick leave from work.
Despite the ordeal, Suthep decided not to take legal action against the stall owners, citing sympathy for them. He plans to visit the stall to inform them of the incident and encourage better cleanliness.
He also issued a public warning for consumers to be vigilant when buying street food and urged health agencies to conduct more frequent and random hygiene inspections. The stall, popular during morning rush hours, could have posed a risk to many other customers.
