Curry Curry Night
Update 24 Oct 2024: Spate of neighbour disputes
Bukit Panjang woman who poured pee into neighbour's shoes fined S$800
A woman who harassed her eighth-floor neighbours by pouring pee into their shoes has been fined S$800. The 68-year-old named Wang Su Chuan was charged with two counts of mischief and two counts of wilful trespass, Shin Min Daily News and Today reported.
Wang lives in a HDB flat at Bukit Panjang. Charge sheets stated that Wang poured urine on her neighbour's shoes and shoe rack in the corridor on Apr. 24, 2021. She also used a marker pen to draw circles on the floor of their corridor on Feb. 4, 2022. Wang trespassed into her neighbour's house twice. On May. 11, 2023, upset by the noise from her neighbour's renovation work, she entered their flat to voice her complaints. Wang went to the kitchen and spoke to one of the renovation workers there, demanding to speak to one of her neighbours. She then argued with a neighbour, who chased her out of the unit.
On Jun. 23, 2023, Wang realised that one of her sandals was "missing" and suspected a neighbour threw it away. She then threw the other sandal that was not "missing" into her neighbour's unit. When she entered their flat again, she found no one inside. Hence, she picked up her sandals and left.
related: Bukit Panjang woman who poured pee in neighbour's shoes now allegedly sprays soy sauce on laundry
Marsiling residents fight over 'pungent' cooking smells, neighbour told to cook only 3 times a day
Both neighbours eventually agreed that the complainee can only cook from 10:30am-12.30pm, 4pm-6pm, and 8pm-10pm
Two neighbours went for mediation of their dispute at the Community Mediation Centre (CMC), after one complained about the "pungent" smell from the other neighbour's cooking. According to Shin Min Daily News, this neighbourly conflict happened between two units at Blk 26 Marsiling Drive. Neighbour upstairs complained about "oily smoke" every day.
Wang Meixue (translated directly from Chinese), who's a 61-year-old housewife, told Shin Min Daily News that her neighbour seemed to enjoy cooking curry, fried fish, chicken wings, and many more dishes every single day. The "pungent smell of oily smoke" often drifted up to her apartment, permeating the entire living room and bedrooms, she claimed. As a result, they had to close their windows every day. She said that this situation had continued for five to six years, and that she had complained about the family multiple times to the town council, even reporting it to the police for more than 10 times.
Unable to resolve the dispute between them, the matter was eventually raised to the CMC. Both neighbours eventually came to an agreement for the family living in the unit downstairs to only cook at three specified timings in the day: 10:30am-12.30pm, 4pm-6pm, and 8pm-10pm. But Wang claimed that her neighbour broke the agreement after two weeks.
Marsiling Neighbour Told To Cook Only 3 Times A Day After Resident Complains Of Pungent Cooking Smells
Marsiling Resident Complains Of Pungent Cooking Smells From Their Neighbour’s Unit
In land-scarce Singapore, many of us live in close proximity with our neighbours. Inevitably, this could lead to disagreements and disputes. In Marsiling, a neighbourly dispute started after a family living upstairs complained about pungent cooking smells coming from their downstairs neighbour’s home.
The Marsiling residents eventually went for mediation at the Community Mediation Centre (CMC). As a result, the family living downstairs was told to cook within certain hours a day. Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, a resident at Block 26 Marsiling Drive, Ms Wang – surname translated from Chinese – shared that her downstairs neighbour often cooks food like curry, fried fish, and fried chicken. The oily smoke will waft up to her house, the smell of food permeating the living room and bedrooms.
As a result, Ms Wang’s family closes their windows every day. Now that her daughter is pregnant and her son works from home, she said the heat and lack of circulation are even more unbearable. She also worries that the fumes may affect her daughter’s pregnancy. Having lived there for about 6 years, Ms Wang said she had reported the problem to the police over 10 times.
Curry dispute (2011)
On 8 August 2011, TODAY reported on a Community Mediation Centre (CMC) case that involved a Chinese and an Indian family. The CMC is a body under the Ministry of Law in Singapore. The Chinese family had filed a complaint against their Indian neighbours over the smell of curry. According to the Chinese family, the Indian family cooked curry regularly. The mediator ruled that the Indian family could only cook curry when the Chinese family was not at home. This ruling sparked reactions from the Singaporean online community where many were unsatisfied.
In the 2011 TODAY report by Carolyn Quek, it was revealed that the Chinese family had recently migrated to Singapore from mainland China. They were not accustomed to the smell of Indian curry and found it unpleasant. They then reported their issue to the CMC. The TODAY report also stated that the Indian family were already aware of the Chinese family’s complaints and had taken active measures to minimise the smell. These measures included closing their windows and doors whenever they cooked the dish.
However, these measures were reportedly insufficient in solving the issue. The Chinese family had asked the Indian family to not cook or eat the curry at all. The Indian family disagreed with these requests and the case was concluded through the mediator’s ruling. The settlement reached was that the Indian family could only cook curry when the Chinese family was not at home. In return, the Chinese family was expected to try the dish.
Curry dispute
On 8 August 2011, local daily freesheet Today published a news feature that mentioned a dispute between a migrant family from China and a Singaporean Indian family over the smell of curry emanating from the latter’s home. Following the publication of the news article, the “curry dispute”, as the incident came to be known, provoked public uproar – the settlement terms of the dispute were perceived as unfair. The “Cook and Share a Pot of Curry” campaign was subsequently organised by some members of the public as a grassroots response to the incident.
In the Today article, it was reported in a sidebar that a Chinese family, newly arrived from China, could not tolerate the smell that wafted over from next-door whenever their Singaporean Indian neighbours cooked curry. Out of consideration to the Chinese family’s aversion to the curry smell, the Indian family would shut their doors and windows whenever they cooked curry. However, the Chinese family deemed this measure insufficient, and entreated their neighbours to refrain from cooking the dish altogether. The request was met with a firm refusal from the Indian family. Both families then approached the Community Mediation Centre (CMC) for help in resolving the disagreement. The settlement that was reached following the mediation was that the Indian family would cook curry only when their Chinese neighbours were out. In turn, the Chinese family acceded to their Indian neighbours’ request to try out the curry dish.
After the publication of the newspaper report highlighting the “curry dispute”, a segment of the public voiced their disgruntlement over the “unfair” outcome that had apparently been brought about by the mediation process conducted by the CMC. Some were also angered by the perceived intolerance that both the Chinese family and the CMC mediator had displayed towards the cultural practices of another ethnic group. This was viewed as unacceptable behaviour that was contrary to Singapore’s inclusive and multiracial society.
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