May 29, 2022

Title: PARTING GIFT

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

GET MY DRIFT (16A: "Know what I'm saying?")

GRAVEYARD SHIFT (37A: Wee-hours work period)

GROWING RIFT (63A: Feature of Issa and Molly's relationship in the fourth season of "Insecure")

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer is PARTING the word GIFT.

Things I learned:

• OSU (32A: Rhythm game whose name is an exclamation) OSU - stylized as osu! - is a free-to-play rhythm game developed by Dean Herbert, aka "Peppy." Inspired by a Japanese game called OSU! Tatakae! Ouendan, Dan Herbert created OSU! in 2007. The game has a huge worldwide community that is constantly creating new content for the game. There are also OSU! tournaments (one of which is happening today). If you're interested in learning more about the history of OSU!, I recommend this video. 
• SALT (33A: Tsukemono seasoning) Tsukemono - also known as Japanese pickles - are vegetables preserved in SALT.
• ESPN (41A: "30 for 30" channel) ESPN's 30 for 30 is a series of documentaries highlighting people and events in sports history. The first episode of 30 for 30 aired in October 2009. It was titled "Kings Ransom," and looked at the 1988 trade of Wayne Gretzky from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings.
• GROWING RIFT (63A: Feature of Issa and Molly's relationship in the fourth season of "Insecure") I have previously written about the HBO TV series, Insecure, which take a look at the experiences of contemporary Black women. Issa Rae plays the role of Issa Dee, and Yvonne Orji plays the role of Molly Carter. On the show, Issa and Molly have been best friends since college...until season 4, that is. I needed the help of crossing answers here, since I haven't watched the show. Apparently there are multiple fan theories about who's to blame for the GROWING RIFT between Issa and Molly. Here's a link to an Essence article in which Issa Rae talks about Issa and Molly's relationship. 
• EGGS (54D: Gyeran-jjim ingredients) Gyeran-jjim, or steamed EGGS, is a dish that originated in Korea.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• SOO (42A: Phillipa who voiced Chang'e in "Over the Moon") Over the Moon is a 2020 animated musical fantasy movie about a girl named Fei Fei, who builds a rocket ship in order to meet a mythical Moon goddess. Phillipa SOO voiced that mythical Moon goddess, Chang'e.
• TEETH (69A: Orcas have sharp ones) Orcas are the apex predators of the sea. They use those sharp TEETH to attack their prey. There is a five-part documentary series on Netflix right now called Our Great National Parks. The series is narrated by Barrack Obama, and highlights the wildlife in some of the world's national parks. The photography is stunning, and I highly recommend watching it if you haven't. In one of the episodes, orcas are shown hunting. I won't tell you more, but I found this scene both amazing and sad. Nature can be brutal. 
• DANISH (46D: Pastry also known as wienerbrod) The word "wienerbrod" means "bread from Vienna." 
• ERIN (61D: "The Lost Kitchen" chef French) ERIN French is the chef owner of a restaurant in Freedom, Maine called The Lost Kitchen. She is also the author of The Lost Kitchen: Recipes and a Good Life Found in Freedom: A Cookbook, and the subject of The Lost Kitchen, a TV series on the Magnolia Network.

Geography review:

• MALTA (1A: Smallest country in the eurozone) The eurozone refers to the 19 countries that have adopted the euro as their primary currency. Of those countries, MALTA, an island country in the Mediterranean Sea, is the smallest. The capital of MALTA is Valletta.
• PDT (47A: S.J. summer time zone) I wasn't positive what S.J. stood for when I first read the clue. (According to Wikipedia, S.J. can refer to a number of places including South Jersey or Saint John, New Brunswick in Canada.) However, based on the answer of PDT (Pacific Daylight Time), the S.J. here is San Jose, California.
• NIGERIA (60A: Nollywood's country) The term Nollywood, used to refer to the film industry in NIGERIA, first appeared in a New York Times article in the early 2000s. Nollywood has become the second largest film industry in the world (between Bollywood and Hollywood) in terms of movies produced each year. 
• ERIE (58D: Pennsylvania city) ERIE, Pennsylvania is the county seat of ERIE County, and is on the south shore of Lake ERIE. This is the third appearance this month for our crossword-friend ERIE.

My favorite theme answer today was GET MY DRIFT. EVEN SO, I also enjoyed GREEN TEA, TRIFLE, and RIGATONI. Thanks, Zhouqin, for this puzzle that was a fine way to begin my Sunday.