Couple who hung pork outside window didn't know it wasn't allowed, just wanted to make preserved pork

A couple in Jurong West had only meant to make preserved pork but unwittingly raised a stink on the internet after a neighbour called them out for the slabs of raw pork they'd hung outside their window.

The neighbour's rant, posted on Facebook page Complaint Singapore on Sunday (Oct 11), quickly went viral, prompting a surge of netizens lambasting the pair for being unhygienic and inconsiderate.

Speaking with 8world today (Oct 15), the wife, 38, admitted that she hadn't known it wasn't allowed and vowed not to do it again.

"The pork was already dry, and there was a windowsill beneath that would prevent any drips, but we live in an HDB and can understand why others wouldn't want their clothes to be dirtied," the woman, who remains unnamed, said. 

The wife told the Chinese daily that she had been making Chinese preserved pork belly for her husband. 

He normally gets his fix online but hasn't been able to purchase the dish due to the pandemic affecting distribution, she explained.

As such, the two tinkered with the idea of making the preserved meat themselves.

They hung the pork in their kitchen for an entire night and dried it with a fan, she said.

But when they wanted to prepare dinner in the kitchen the next day, they had to find an alternative space to hang the pork.

On the spur of a moment, they decided to make use of the clothing rack outside their window.

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As the pork was only hung outside for less than two hours, they were surprised to find themselves on the receiving end of an angry online mob, she said, adding that they only found out about the online criticism when a friend alerted them to it.

They also received a visit from their town council's staff, who advised them to remove the pork, though they'd already taken the meat in and cooked it by then, she said.

In response to media queries, West Coast Town Council said, "For the benefit of our residents' health and hygiene, we would like to remind residents not to hang any food items on the laundry rack."

rainercheung@asiaone.com