DEAR MISS MANNERS: My sister was invited to a neighbor’s house for a pig roast. The neighbor said he had access to a live pig, and asked my brother-in-law to kill and butcher it for him.
This seems a bit much to ask of an invited guest. In a spirit of neighborliness, my brother-in-law acquiesced, but I feel the neighbor went too far in even asking.
GENTLE READER:: Your brother-in-law knows how to kill and butcher a pig?
Surely the neighbor must have known this. One would not turn over such an animal to any willing person who might have a penknife.
Still, it is a large favor, and should have been phrased in the form of a question, as to whether your brother-in-law knew who could do this. But a direct plea could have been answered with a recommendation, rather than agreement to do it himself.