14. Daily Bread
Prompt: The Shire: The cuisine of the Shire is unsurpassed. Write a story or poem, or create a work of art, featuring food.
Their first nights on the road were anxious – fear of pursuit and uneasiness about their guide made for heavy silence.
But as Sam worried over supper their third night, Pippin suddenly perked up. "Beechnuts?" he exclaimed, gazing, puzzled, at Strider. "When did you stop in Chetwood?"
"These I bought in Bree, ere I met you," Strider explained.
"Bitter fare," Frodo remarked.
"Depends," Sam replied. "Need a pan, Mr Strider?"
"I like their bitterness," the Ranger said. "But if you prefer..."
"Bitter, eh?" Sam chuckled. "I'll drink to that! Coffee, anyone?"
Author's notes: Beeches produce beechnuts, which are bitter if they are European beechnuts, and which are apparently able to be prepared and made into a coffee-like substitute. Hey, it's cheaper than importing from Harad!
This is a work of fan fiction, written because the author has an abiding love for the works of J R R Tolkien. The characters, settings, places, and languages used in this work are the property of the Tolkien Estate, Tolkien Enterprises, and possibly New Line Cinema, except for certain original characters who belong to the author of the said work. The author will not receive any money or other remuneration for presenting the work on this archive site. The work is the intellectual property of the author, is available solely for the enjoyment of Henneth Annûn Story Archive readers, and may not be copied or redistributed by any means without the explicit written consent of the author.
