June 2, 2022

Title: SIDE OF FRIES

Constructors: Ang D'Argenio & Olivia Mitra Framke

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

STEAK KNIFE (16A: Dinnerware served with a sirloin)

CURLY BRACKETS (24A: Pairs of marks used by coders)

WEDGE SNEAKERS (39A: Hybrids of athletic shoes and high heels)

WAFFLE IRON (53A: Breakfast-making appliance that inspired Nike Moon Shoes)

Theme synopsis: At the SIDE of each theme answer, we find a type of FRIES. On today's menu: STEAK FRIES, CURLY FRIES, WEDGE FRIES, and WAFFLE FRIES.

Things I learned:

• ANTS (11D: "That's how we get ___!" (running joke on Archer)) Archer is an animated show for adults. The title character, Sterling Archer, is voiced by H. Jon Benjamin (who also voices Bob Belcher on Bob's Burgers), and the show centers on a dysfunctional intelligence agency. "That's how we get ANTS!" is a running gag on the show that began with the first episode. It is usually said in response to food or drink having been spilled. I knew of Archer, thanks to my son and husband being fans, but was not familiar with the ANTS line.
• RICE (21D: Grain in bhelpuri) Bhelpuri is a savory snack made of puffed RICE, vegetables, and tamarind sauce. The dish originated in India.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• BRIT (18A: Person who might order crisps) A BRIT might order crisps if they want to receive what an American refers to as potato chips.
• CURLY BRACKETS (24A: Pairs of marks used by coders) CURLY BRACKETS are used in some coding languages to define the {start and end} of a code block.
• RUMI (32A: Mystic Persian poet) RUMI wrote poetry in the thirteenth century, and his poems have been widely translated and remain popular, even more than 700 years after his death.
• WAFFLE IRON (53A: Breakfast-making appliance that inspired Nike Moon Shoes) Isn't this a fun fact? The story goes that Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman was eating breakfast one day, looked at a WAFFLE IRON, and decided the pattern would make a great tread on a shoe. He proceeded to pour rubber on his wife's WAFFLE IRON, which I'm sure she appreciated...
• ALDO (57A: Canadian shoe brand) I first learned about ALDO shoes from the December 17, 2021 puzzle. ALDO Bensadoun founded the company in Montreal in 1972.
• CAST AWAY (33A: Movie with a volleyball named Wilson) Whenever movies are mentioned in clues, I'm always interested what year they were released; movies tend to be older than I think they are! In this case, CAST AWAY, starring Tom Hanks, was released 22 years ago, in 2000.
• ONI (6D: Demonic creature in Japanese folklore) In Japanese folklore, an ONI is a kind of ogre or troll, known for its evil nature. Typically they are portrayed as large figures with one or more horns growing out of their heads.
• KOOL (42D: ___ and the Gang ("Celebration" band)) If you need a "Celebration" today (and who doesn't?), here's a link to KOOL and the Gang's 1980 song. 
• BREE (49D: "Lord of the Rings" village that sounds like a cheese) BREE is a fictional village in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, the setting of Lord of the Rings. BREE is the only place where hobbits and men both live. Nice inclusion of the cheese hint to assist solvers that are unfamiliar with Lord of the Rings (and those whose memory is rusty...)

Geography review:

• USSR (1D: U.S.'s Space Race competitor) The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was a Communist state that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until its dissolution in 1991. The USSR was the U.S.'s rival in the Cold War Era Space Race. I almost went down a rabbit hole reading about the Space Race. I was not-quite four years old when Apollo 11 landed on the moon, so I don't remember much about that time! However, in the interest of finishing this write-up, I bookmarked the Wikipedia article on the Space Race to read another time. 

Who else is hungry for French FRIES? How fun to realize there are so many types of FRIES. In addition to the theme, I really enjoyed the entries COMEDY GOLD, VELVET, and PARAMEDICS, and I appreciated the clue for STEPDADS (8D: Fathers' new partners, perhaps). Congratulations to Ang D'Argenio, who is making their USA Today crossword puzzle debut today! Thank you, Ang and Olivia, for this puzzle that was a great way to start my Thursday.