Food for Maiar Thought

[Beren87]

A question came up in chat this evening (strange place, it was actually Tolkien chat, for once), about whether or not Maiar have to eat. We were discussing on what the Balrog of Moria ate, considering they were in, well, Moria. Did he chow down on those fearful Orcs?

Then we continued on, we know that Gandalf drank and smoke, but did he eat? And if he did, was it because he truly needed nourishment, or was it only because he need to keep up appearances (Superman). Whenever food was called for him in Minas Tirith, he generally post-poned it until the latest possible time, which raises suspicion.

Now, were there any instances of Maiar in The Silm eating? Please list any that are found.

We know Saruman had a large store of food, but it seems all that is mentioned is just that of the finest stuff, especailly pipe-weed, which raises the question for me, did they eat to sustain or for enjoyment?

Surely some of the time periods shown show that Maiar could go for extended periods of time without food, such as the fall of Gandalf and his rise to the top Durin's Stair, that was supposedly to have taken an incredibly long time, and he's not going to be able to eat while on a mountain top shooting white bolts at a balrog.

Well, any thoughts?

[ July 23, 2003: Message edited by: Beren87 ]