August 14, 2022

Title: SIDE TABLE

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

THAT'S DOABLE (17A: "Shouldn't be a problem")

TAX-DEDUCTIBLE (47A: Like mortgage interest but not rent)

TABERNACLE (61A: Mormon places of worship)

Theme synopsis: The word TABLE is split, and pieces are found at the SIDEs of each theme answer.

Things I learned:

• INKS (64A: Suiboku-ga liquids) Suiboku-ga is the Japanese art of painting in one color using diluted INKS to attain infinite shades. I have previously written about ink wash painting, and am happy to learn this word for the art form.
• ARIA (33D: Aria Tesolin solo) ARIA Tesolin is a Canadian singer, poet, and songwriter whose music crosses over the boundaries of musical genres. It has been described as "pop classical" and "classically infused pop music." ARIA Tesolin began performing opera ARIAs at the age of eight, and her 2006 debut album is titled Baby Soprano. ARIA Tesolin has also competed in Poetry Slams under the name of Ambrosia. I filled in ARIA from crossing answers, and therefore it wasn't until I was reviewing the puzzle that I noticed ARIA Tesolin's first name is also the answer.
• ETSY (55D: Depop's parent company) Depop is an e-commerce site that allows users to buy and resell items. Many of the items sold on Depop are used clothing. Depop was founded in 2011, and acquired by ETSY in 2021for $1.6 billion.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• ELM (11A: Tree with a "fluttering" species) and LAUREL (54A: Bay ___ tree) We're brushing up on our tree species today with this pair of clues. The fluttering ELM tree is also known as the European white ELM. The bay LAUREL tree is the source of bay leaves used as seasoning in some sauces and stews. (Remember to remove the leaves before serving!) Ground bay leaves and dried LAUREL berries are also used as spices. 
• THAT'S DOABLE (17A: "Shouldn't be a problem") and HOW (19A: "___ can you be so sure?") I liked the mini-story told by these two consecutive clues/answers. "THAT'S DOABLE!" "HOW can you be so sure?"
• FILM (60A: Nollywood release) I have previously written about Nollywood, the film industry in Nigeria.
• BTS (67A: Jungkook's band) Jungkook is the youngest member of the K-pop band, BTS. 
• ADOPTEE (6D: Superman or Simone Biles) I really liked this clue. At first I was trying to think of a trait shared by Superman and Simone Biles. Agility, perhaps? Athleticism? A nice, "Aha!" moment when a few crossing letters revealed the answer as ADOPTEE. When Superman's parents sent him to Earth in a small spaceship, he was adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent, and given the name, Clark. After spending time in foster care (along with her three siblings), Simone Biles was adopted by her maternal grandfather and his wife. 
• DIRT ROAD (18D: Track on a country album) Just for kicks, I googled, "country album covers featuring DIRT ROAD." The numerous results include The DIRT ROAD by Sawyer Brown, Red DIRT ROAD by Brooks and Dunn, and "DIRT ROAD Anthem" by Jason Aldean.
• TERI (30D: Actress and "Burnt Toast" author Hatcher) TERI Hatcher's roles include Lois Lane on the TV series, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, and Susan Mayer on the TV show, Desperate Housewives. Her book, Burnt Toast: And Other Philosophies of Life, was published in 2006.
• DRUMS (48D: Tanggu and bongos) The tanggu is a traditional Chinese double-headed drum played with drumsticks. Bongos are open-bottomed pairs of DRUMS of different sizes that are played with the hands.
• BEEN (49D: "I've ___ waiting for this") and NO LIE (53D: "It's the truth") This was another pair of consecutive clues/answers that seemed to tell a mini-story. "I've BEEN waiting for this. NO LIE."

Geography review:

• DESERT (23A: The Kalahari, for example) The Kalahari DESERT is located in Africa. It covers most of Botswana, and extends into Namibia and South Africa. Its name is derived from Tswana words meaning "the great thirst" and "a waterless place."
• HARLEM (44A: New York neighborhood that's the title of a Langston Hughes poem) The New York City neighborhood of HARLEM is located in Upper Manhattan. Langston Hughes's poem, "HARLEM," was first published in 1951. It begins with the line, "What happens to a dream deferred?" The 1959 play, A Raisin in the Sun, took its name from a line in "HARLEM."  You can read the entire poem here. 
• ONE (10D: Number of U.S. state names containing the letter J) Were you able to think of the ONE state name containing the letter J? The answer is New Jersey. Here's another question for you? How many letters are not used in any U.S. state names? The answer is ONE, and that ONE letter is Q.
• BEL (62D: ___-Air, Los Angeles) BEL-Air is a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. The neighborhood has featured in pop culture, most notably perhaps, as the setting for the TV sitcom, The Fresh Prince of BEL-Air, and the 2022 reimagined version of that show, BEL-Air. (Although the exterior shots of the house used on the shows were filmed in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Brentwood.) 
• ASU (63D: School with a Phoenix campus, for short) Arizona State University (ASU) is located in the Phoenix metropolitan area, and is spread out across four campuses: Tempe, West, Polytechnic, and Downtown Phoenix. ASU describes itself as "one university in many places."

It was fun to see the split of the word TABLE progress as one moves from top to bottom in the puzzle, almost as if the TABLE is moving from one SIDE to the other. In addition to the theme, I enjoyed the answers GETS REAL, TED X TALKS, and SPICE RACKS (where one might find leaves of the Bay LAUREL tree). Thank you, Zhouqin, for this puzzle that was a superb way to begin my Sunday.