January 9, 2022

Title: BACKROAD

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

USDA ORGANIC (17A: Label on some health food products)

FLORIDA ORANGE (38A: Fruit from the Sunshine State)

VANDA ORCHID (62A: Tropical flower with fragrant five-petal blooms)

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer contains the letter string D-A-O-R, which spells ROAD, when read BACKwards.

Things I learned:

• SIP (11A: Little taste of sujeonggwa) Sujeonggwa is a cinnamon punch that is dark reddish-brown in color. Sujeonggwa is a traditional Korean drink, and is served cold, often for dessert.
• BREW (42A: Prepare genmaicha) Genmaicha is a Japanese beverage made of green tea mixed with roasted brown rice.
• VANDA ORCHID (62A: Tropical flower with fragrant five-petal blooms) The VANDA ORCHID is native to the tropical regions of Asia. This type of ORCHID is one of only a few varieties that can produce blue (or bluish purple) flowers. The VANDA ORCHID is known for its fragrant and showy blossoms. I was not familiar with the VANDA ORCHID, and was slow to figure out the crossing REVEL (52D: Celebrate), making the V the last letter of the puzzle I filled in.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• STIR (20A: Tend to congee) Congee is a type of rice porridge that originated in India and is a part of many Asian cuisines. It is made by cooking and STIRring rice for a prolonged time, so the rice disintegrates and thickens.
• APRIL (22A: National Pet Day Month) National Pet Day is celebrated on APRIL 11, though if you have a PET, you know most of them insist on being celebrated every day. The holiday - an excuse to celebrate our pets, and raise awareness of those in need of homes - was started in 2005, by animal
  
  welfare advocate Colleen Paige. According to the National Today page about National Pet Day, only 10% of pet owners carry on conversations with their pet. Willow and I have discussed this, and we think 90% of pet owners are missing out on valuable conversation.
• ZONE (29A: The Z in ZIP code) ZIP is an acronym for ZONE Improvement Plan, chosen to convey that mail travels more quickly when customers include the ZIP code in a mailing address.
• HER (36A: "Fight for You" singer) As I mentioned in my write-up of the December 22, 2021 puzzle, the R&B singer H.E.R. wrote the song "Fight for You" for the movie Judas and the Black Messiah. The song won an Academy Award for Best Original Song. 
• ERA (55A: "I'm in my flop ___") "I'm in my flop ERA," is a saying used to acknowledge a period of low creativity or productivity. The term "flop ERA" has been applied to musicians, athletes, actors, and even companies. It is often used ironically and self-deprecatingly in memes and social media posts.
• EID (65A: "___ Mubarak") "EID Mubarak" means "Blessed feast" or "Blessed festival" in Arabic. The Muslim greeting is used for the festivals of EID al-Fitr (a festival marking the end of Ramadan) and EID al-Adha (a holiday honoring Abraham's obedience to God). 
• ELI (9D: Name hidden in "make a beeline") and ABE (63D: Name hidden in "make a beeline") This was a fun pair of hidden word clues.
• TEAR (25D: Origami mishap) Having done some origami, the thought of a TEAR, particularly one occurring when a project is nearly complete, was almost enough to bring a TEAR to my eye.
• AIDY (41D: Comedian Bryant) AIDY Bryant has been an SNL cast member since 2012. She also stars as Annie Easton in the Hulu TV series Shrill, and voices D.D. Danger in the animated series Danger & Eggs. 
• WNBA (58D: Connecticut Sun's org.) The Connecticut Sun are a WNBA team that plays at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The team began as the Orlando Miracle, and moved to Connecticut in 2003.

Geography review:

• FLORIDA ORANGE (38A: Fruit from the Sunshine State) Over 70% of the United States ORANGE crop is grown in FLORIDA. FLORIDA enjoys 2400 to 3200 hours of sunshine a year (approximately 6.5-9 hours a day). Although this has earned Florida the Sunshine State nickname, there are a couple of states that are sunnier. The southern areas of California and Arizona see over 3600 hours of sunshine a year.
• INDIGO (3D: Color on South Carolina's state flag) The flag of South Carolina features a white palmetto tree and a white crescent on an INDIGO background. INDIGO, a source of blue dye, was a cash crop in South Carolina in the 18th century.

The title perfectly tipped me off about what to look for today, and I found that helpful as I was uncovering the theme answers.  Once I got the -DA- in 17-Across from crossing answers, I was able to add -OR- which helped me figure out the answer. This puzzle did not make me say, "AW, GEEZ!" It was an enjoyable way to begin my Sunday.