[Kalimac]

I'd tend to agree with Lily on this as well - they weren't included mostly because they didn't really advance the story. Even the other stuff - the smoking, bathing-while-singing, and so forth - tells us something about the person's character and the sort of stuff they like to do on a daily basis. They're voluntary actions. And it's true - Tolkien does put a lot of emphasis on eating! Of course, this isn't an at least potentially optional activity like smoking or bathing, but it can still tell us something about how the character, or how they're feeling. For example, in "The Hobbit" the fact that Beorn has stacks of food which is taken from animals in a painless way, but no meat, which would involve slaughter, tells us a good bit about Beorn. The fact that the hobbits devour a billion-course feast at Bilbo's party tells us both that they're the kind of people who enjoy feasting and partying, and also that they're living in a fairly lush region (sorry, Lush!) and that there's more than enough to go around. And so forth.

But a character having to pop out to relieve himself behind the bushes doesn't tell us anything except that his body is still obeying the laws of nature. It's kind of like mentioning it whenever somebody blinks involuntarily. The only occasions when it would become important would be if (a) somebody sneaked away to the outhouse and happened to overhear or see something while on the way there, or back or (b) if somebody was functioning so abnormally that it held up the journey or otherwise changed things.

That being said...heh, you know, I bet that *was* the reason that Merry "went out for a stroll." Actually I like that explanation a lot - especially since it always struck me as a little softheaded of Merry to pull a teenagers-in-the-haunted-house routine of "Well, there are these big scary things all around, so I think I'll just walk off by myself. What could possibly go wrong?" It would make a lot more sense if he was compelled somewhat (though you'd think a facility like the Prancing Pony would have some sort of indoor earth closet).

Fangorn would be different - I'd be afraid to touch anything there, let alone relieve myself, for fear of accidentally coming into contact with a Huorn or something. And something tells me that that the lack of water in Mordor meant that it wasn't really a concern for anyone trying to get to Mount Doom.