September 22, 2021

Title: SALSA DIP

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

MEEK AND MILD (3D: Far from assertive)

HAPPY MEDIUM (17D: Good compromise)

STEAMING HOT (27D: Just out of the oven)

Theme synopsis: The last word of each theme answer is a variety of SALSA. Since the theme answers are all vertical, the SALSA descriptors DIP down, and in fact, DIP farther as we progress from MILD to MEDIUM to HOT.

Things I learned:

• OTTO (34A: "How to Make an American Quilt" novelist Whitney) Published in 1990, How to Make an American Quilt is the debut novel of Whitney OTTO. The book tells the story of eight women living in a small town in California, who come together once a week to quilt. A 1995 movie of the same name was based on the book. I was amused to discover that the "About" page on Whitney OTTO's website acknowledges she has a crossword-friendly last name. 
• TALE (48A: "The Mirror of Matsuyama, for one) "The Mirror of Matsuyama" is a Japanese Fairy TALE. It tells the story of a young girl whose mother gives her a mirror just before the mother dies, telling her that when she looks in the mirror she will see the mother's soul.
• EMU OIL (71A: Fat from an Australian bird) Although this answer was inferable, I had never heard of EMU OIL. The FDA highlights EMU OIL in an article on "How to Spot Health Fraud."

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• SUI (51A: Fashion surname that becomes a garment if you add a T at the end) Anna SUI is the fashion designer whose name becomes "suit" with the addition of a letter. I learned about Anna SUI from the April 19, 2021 puzzle. 
• GIA (63A: Drag queen Gunn) GIA Gunn is another name I knew because I learned it from previous puzzles. 
• LUTHER (68A: Singer Vandross) LUTHER Vandross sang background vocals for several artists (including Judy Collins, Bette Midler, Stevie Wonder, and Diana Ross) in addition to being the lead singer of the group Change in the 1980s, and having a solo career. One of his many hits was the 1989 song, "Here and Now." LUTHER Vandross died in 2005 at the age of 54. 
• ANIMALS (70A: There are 12 in the Chinese zodiac) Can you name all 12 ANIMALS featured in the Chinese zodiac? They are: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. We are currently in the Year of the Ox. 
• ITO (7D: Olympic skater Midori) ITO Midori is a former professional figure skater. She was the 1989 World Champion, and won a silver medal for Japan at the 1992 Olympics. Sports Show recently ranked ITO Midori among the "Top 10 Greatest Female Figure Skaters of All Time."
• ICE (12D: Broomball surface) The game of broomball is played on an ICE hockey rink. Players hit a small ball with a stick called a "broom," and attempt to score goals by hitting the ball into the opponents net.
• DANAI (36D: Actress Gurira) DANAI Gurira played the role of Okoye (the head of the Dora Milaje), in the 2018 movie, Black Panther, and the 2019 movie, Avengers: Endgame. She will reprise the role in the upcoming movie, Black Panther, Wakonda Forever, scheduled to be released in 2022.
• YUK (47D: Mr. ___ (poison symbol who turned 50 in 2021)) The trademarked image of Mr. YUK was created by UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. The symbol was based on the facial expressions of children under the age of five when they were asked about poison. 
• PELE (60D: One named soccer legend) Throughout his career, the soccer great, PELÉ, averaged a goal per game. As a sidenote, PELÉ, who is 80 years old, is currently in the hospital, but he says he's "feeling better every day."

Geography review:

• VIENNA (16A: Austria's capital) In addition to being its capital, VIENNA is Austria's largest city. 
• GILA (19A: River with a namesake "monster") The GILA River is a tributary of the Colorado River, and flows through New Mexico and Arizona. The GILA monster is a species of venomous lizard native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. Fun fact: I wrote about the GILA River in my second blog post. 
• TAJ (23D: ___ Mahal Palace) The TAJ Mahal is located in Agra, India. It was constructed in the 1600s as a tomb for Mumtaz Mahal, a wife of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.
• ONE (65D: Number of states bordering Maine) Can you name the ONE U.S. state that borders Maine? I'll wait while you give it some thought... The answer is New Hampshire. Maine is also bordered by the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec. Maine is the only state to border only ONE other state, but there are two states that border no other U.S. states: Alaska and Hawaii.

Are you hungry and ready to DIP into some SALSA? That would certainly be understandable after solving this puzzle. I prefer MEDIUM SALSA myself, sometimes branching out to HOT or MILD. I liked the theme-adjacent inclusion of TABASCO sauce, and also the non-theme answer of LAYS LOW that briefly had me thinking we'd be seeing a selection of DIP synonyms. This puzzle was an enjoyable way to begin my Wednesday.