[whswhs]

Originally Posted by Michele

I have the same problem with the elves, but not with the dwarves.
Yes, the cool place to be, for them, is underneath the mountains, extracting ores and working metals. But there will always be an open-air over-the-mountains place above their mines. And among the species that suffer less from altitude and cold you have mountain goats and barley.
Yes, the movies don't feature scenes of dwarves tending the goats and harvesting barley. But after all, dwarven VIPs don't go there, they are the kings, renowned swordsmiths, famous dragon-slayers who all stay in the well-known underground halls.
Maybe the goat herders are human slaves or the none-too-bright dwarves. We never see them. But then again, did the first series of Downton Abbey feature a lot of scenes in Yorkshire mines?

In The Hobbit, the dwarves tell Bilbo that back in the good old days at the Lonely Mountain they were so rich that they never bothered to grow their own food.