A passion for Mushrooms

Guilded for Business

Without really knowing what to expect of Bombur’s guild, Bilbo dressed his best for dinner. Unfortunately, his best wasn’t particularly impressive these days. He had a rather nice red dinner jacket crafted by Dori just after Bilbo’s arm had started to heal enough to put one on. The friendly dwarf had “sold” it to the hobbit for two crowns and a bit of pipe weed, as though Bilbo would be shy about taking charity. Sadly, under the jacket he had only a mostly white shirt and rather threadbare trousers. Still, it was what he had, and it had been good enough for the king’s table the night before. It would have to be good enough for Bombur’s guild.

It definitely seemed to be good enough for Bombur, whose chubby cheeks stretched in a grin fit to break his face when he fetched Bilbo to show him to the guild hall.

“You’re in a fine mood tonight,” the hobbit observed as his weighty friend practically skipped through the halls of Erebor.

“I am indeed,” Bombur said. “For the second time after long months of rough going, I have served to the king’s table a meal of which I need not be ashamed. Beyond that, tonight I have burgled the burglar and we shall have an even better supper than that.”

Laughing, Bilbo said, “You have not stolen me away. I often miss dinner in the great hall.”

“But you do not often come to dinner with me, and you have never visited a dwarven guild hall before this day. Welcome, Bilbo Baggins, to the Culinary Guild.”

The enormous arched doors were made of gold. This was no unusual thing in Erebor, but Bilbo couldn’t believe he’d never noticed them before. Granted the city was vast and absolutely filled with expertly crafted treasures; even so, the doors to the Culinary Guild were unique. Instead of runes and abstract carvings, they were sculpted into the scene of a wonderful feast. Looking upon them was like looking down at a huge table during a birthday party, where everything that was good to eat had been gathered. Bilbo saw meat and fruit—roasted lamb and golden apples so real he was tempted to have a bite of one—beautiful creations of pastry and elaborate appetizers. The desserts were so many in number and so detailed in depiction that the hobbit’s mouth began to water. When the doors opened, Bilbo didn’t step through, instead he kept staring at the bas-relief trying to decipher every detail of the tempting dishes.

Clapping a warm hand to the small of Bilbo’s back, Bombur ushered him through. “You can come back and have a proper look at the doors any time you like. I’m rather proud of them myself. As the commissioning financier, I had a lot of input in the designs.”

“They’re incredible,” Bilbo said honestly.

Chuckling, Bombur was a shade too modest to agree. “Unfortunately, the rest of the hall is a bit less so just now. We may be established by the king’s decree, but we still have to bid for skilled workers the same as everyone else. Getting us settled just isn’t the same priority as making sure all of the public throughways are safe and reopening the mines.”

“I think you have a lovely hall,” Bilbo said. Polite enough, but also true. For all that it did not compare in size or scope to the Great Hall of Erebor, the Culinary Guild Hall was enormous by hobbit standards. There were many arched doors off to either side which Bombur referred to as store rooms, work rooms, and housing for apprentices, all of which Bilbo was welcome to explore if he liked, but the hall itself was centered around a single gigantic table shaped like a horseshoe. About twenty dwarves were already seated, most gathered toward the top of the arch, but it looked like the table might easily seat a hundred, and that was if they only sat around the outer edge.

“Good.” Bombur gripped Bilbo’s shoulder tight for a moment before showing him to a seat next to Kira along the righthand curve of the table. Bombur himself sat in a great chair at the apex of the horseshoe, but that was quite alright. It was a very good dinner, and Bilbo had dozens of questions about each dish which Kira seemed more than happy to answer. Dwarvish cuisine really was a lot more than roasted meat and road stews, Bilbo was coming to learn.