I agree, the way it is tied in with the Hobbit is wonderful. It would mean nothing to those who have not read it, but for the readers who have they feel some kind of conncetion with the book almost immediately (When Mr. Bilbo Baggins...). It is a great way to draw those readers in: starting with what they know (Bilbo and Gandalf to an extent) and at the same time introducing Frodo as the main character.
One thing I noticed as I read the chapter is Tolkien's emphasis on hobbits and food.
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More promising still (to the hobbits' mind): an enormous open-air kitchen was erected in the north corner of the field.
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There were three official meals: lunch, tea, and dinner (or supper). But lunch and tea were marked chiefly by the fact that at those times all the guests were sitting down and eating together. At other times there were merely lots of people eating and drinking - continuously from elevenses until six-thirty when the fireworks started.
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[Rory said] "There's something fishy in this, my dear! I believe that mad Baggins is off again. Silly old fool. But why worry? He hasn't taken the vittles with him."
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People came and began (by orders) to clear away ... the uneaten food (a very small item).
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There are others, as well. Granted, they are hobbits, but it still seemed like a lot to me. Do you think that Tolkien had some point in making all these referances to food? What might he have been trying to tell us about hobbits by doing this?