Some of it could be hand waved as not wanting to bring more attention to himself than necessary. Humans need to eat, he appears to be human, it’s easier all around to act the part, then the acting becomes habit.
So he does it while pouring over documents, in a basement, where no one sees him. Or the iirc large amount of food he ate and mead he drank in the Hobbit after a day out. Doesn’t add up.
What did it eat down there?
A steady supply of people who ask too many questions.
Did it need to eat? I kind of got the feeling that Maiar just “exist”. Does Gandalf eat because he has to or because he enjoys it?
I remember a scene with Gandalf eating while researching the ring in Gondor’s library. And he ate heartily in the Hobbit book after a long day.
Some of it could be hand waved as not wanting to bring more attention to himself than necessary. Humans need to eat, he appears to be human, it’s easier all around to act the part, then the acting becomes habit.
So he does it while pouring over documents, in a basement, where no one sees him. Or the iirc large amount of food he ate and mead he drank in the Hobbit after a day out. Doesn’t add up.
Tolkien absolutely would have Maiar eat and drink for pleasure.
He smoked for pleasure. I’m sure he ate and drank for pleasure.
Greedy and deep-digging dwarves
What were they supposed to do? Not dig? The story was rigged against dwarves from the start.
Orcs, probably
Whatever it wanted to eat.