December 15, 2021

Title: FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

MAHI MAHI (16A: Fish with a repetitive name)

PIRI PIRI (20A: Sauce with a repetitive name)

SHABU SHABU (39A: Hotpot dish with a repetitive name)

COUSCOUS (56A: Staple food with a repetitive name)

HALO-HALO (63A: Dessert with a repetitive name)

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer is a FOOD with a repetitive name (i.e. FOOD FOOD).

Things I learned:

• PIRI PIRI (20A: Sauce with a repetitive name) PIRI PIRI is a hot chili pepper sauce. It is used as a seasoning or marinade. The sauce has complicated origins. "PIRI PIRI" means "pepper pepper" in Swahili.
• NAT (22A: Cowboy Love) The Harder They Fall is a 2021 movie; it is one of the few Westerns whose main characters are all Black. Although the film's story is fiction, it is based on real cowboys, and one of those cowboys is NAT Love (played in the movie by Jonathan Majors). NAT Love was born into slavery in Tennessee in 1854. At the age of 16, he moved to Kansas where he became a cowboy. NAT Love wrote about his life in a 1907 autobiography titled, Life and Adventures of NAT Love, Better Known in the Cattle Country as "Deadwood Dick," by Himself. NAT Love died in 1921 at the age of 67.
• HARP (32D: Instrument for Nancy Allen) Nancy Allen is the Principal Harpist of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. She also is the head of the HARP departments at Juilliard and the Aspen Music Festival, and teaches at Stony Brook University.
• BESS (40D: "My So-Called Life" actress Armstrong) My So-Called Life is a TV series that aired for one season in 1994-1995. The teen drama was set in the fictional Liberty High School in the fictional town of Three Rivers, Pennsylvania. BESS Armstrong played the role of Patty Chase, the mother of one of the teenagers attending the school.
• TONY (61D: Pepper's partner) Pepper here is Pepper Potts (who was a theme answer in the September 25, 2020 puzzle), a character in Marvel Comics. She is the CEO of Stark Industries, and is sometimes a romantic interest of TONY Stark aka Iron Man.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• MAHI MAHI (16A: Fish with a repetitive name) Although MAHI MAHI are also known as the common dolphinfish, they are not related to dolphins. In Hawaiian, "MAHI MAHI" means "very strong." MAHI MAHI has been a theme answer before.
• SHABU SHABU (39A: Hotpot dish with a repetitive name) SHABU SHABU is a Japanese dish of thinly sliced meat and vegetables boiled in water and served with dipping sauces. Its onomatopoeic name is derived from the sound made when the ingredients are stirred in the cooking pot. SHABU SHABU has also been a theme answer before (though not in the same puzzle as MAHI MAHI).
• COUSCOUS (56A: Staple food with a repetitive name) Although COUSCOUS and pasta are both made from wheat flour, COUSCOUS is rolled into granules, while pasta is molded or extruded. 
• HALO-HALO (63A: Dessert with a repetitive name) HALO-HALO is the unofficial national dessert of the Philippines. The cold treat is made from crushed ice and evaporated milk with various ingredients added.
• ELK (66A: Beast also known as omashkooz) Omashkooz is the Ojibwe word for ELK.
• GRIPE (7D: Moan and groan) and CARP (8D: Moan and groan) Lots of complaining from this puzzle. Perhaps it ate too much...
• EDDIE (11D: Nickname akin to Ned) In the October 22, 2021 puzzle, we saw both EDDIE and Ned clued as [Nickname for Edward].
• BARBECUE (14D: Cuisine served by Gates in Kansas City) That would be George W. Gates, who opened his first BARBECUE restaurant in 1946. That business eventually became the Kansas City BARBECUE chain, Gates Bar-B-Q.
• CASSEROLE (26D: Food that's French for "saucepan") This is interesting to me, as a CASSEROLE is generally a baked dish, while I think of saucepans as being used on a stovetop.
• JAM (30D: Tartine spread) "Tartine" is the French word for "toast." The term tartine can be used to refer to many types of open-faced sandwiches, but also to bread and butter served with JAM.

Geography review:

• SERB (23A: Person from Belgrade or Subotica) Serbia is a landlocked country in Europe. Belgrade and Subotica are cities in Serbia, therefore a person from either of those cities is a SERB. Belgrade is the capital of Serbia.
• DES (69A: First word of Iowa's capital) Hmmm, I might know this one. The capital of Iowa is DES Moines.

Once again, the crossword is making me hungry! Not only do we have a FOOD-centric theme, but Zhouqin has loaded the puzzle with a number of FOOD bonuses. In addition to the theme answers, today's feast includes S'MORES, an EGG, BARBECUE, JAM, and a CASSEROLE (perhaps seasoned with SAGE). I'M HONORED to write about this puzzle, which was a delicious way to begin my Wednesday.