October 23, 2022

Title: FROM LAST TO FIRST

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

ZOO ATLANTA (16A: Place to see giant pandas in Georgia)

ZAGREB, CROATIA (26A: European capital on the Sava River)

ZOE SALDANA (61A: Actress in "Avatar" and "Avengers" movies)

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer begins with the LAST letter of the alphabet, and ends with the FIRST letter of the alphabet. In going from Z to A, we proceed FROM LAST TO FIRST.

Things I learned:

• NAIR (60A: "Monsoon Wedding" director Mira) We saw this clue in a puzzle over two years ago, so theoretically I learned it then. We also saw Mira NAIR's first name in a puzzle a year ago, clued to another movie she directed, Queen of Katwe. Even so, I needed all of the crossings to fill in this answer. Monsoon Wedding is a 2001 movie centered around a traditional Punjabi wedding in Delhi. The movie won the Golden Lion, the highest honor at the Venice International Film Festival. 
• ZOE SALDANA (61A: Actress in "Avatar" and "Avengers" movies) In the Avatar movies, ZOE SALDAÑA plays the role of Neytiri. In Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame she plays the role of Gamora, a role she also plays in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. 
• BANANA PEEL (10D: Ingredient in some vegan bacon) I don't often quote directly from Wikipedia, but the second sentence of Wikipedia's BANANA PEEL page is delightful. "BANANA PEELs are used as food for animals, an ingredient in cooking, in water purification, for manufacturing of several biochemical products as well as for jokes and comical situations." So many uses for the lowly BANANA PEEL! (Also, I did check, and "orange peel" and "apple peel" do not get their own page.) BANANA PEELs are sometimes used as a pork substitute in vegan cooking, including being used, as the clue tells us, as an ingredient in vegan bacon. (The link I've shared gives some background; if you want to go straight to a recipe for vegan bacon, click here.)
• PEAR (55D: Fruit in seafoam salad) Seafoam salad is a vintage "dessert salad" - that is, although it has "salad" in its name - and I have no doubt it's often treated as a salad course - it's sweet enough to be served as a dessert. According to several sources, seafoam salad was first served at F.W. Woolworth's lunch counters, and the salad's popularity grew as the number of Woolworth stores increased. Although variations of the recipe exist, the most common ingredients of seafoam salad are lime Jell-O, canned PEARs, cream cheese, and Cool Whip. The number of foods I dislike is a fairly short list, and seafoam salad has the distinction of containing the top two: PEARs and Jell-O!

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• ZOO ATLANTA (16A: Place to see giant pandas in Georgia) At first I wondered if the two words in this answer were in the wrong order and that was today's theme, but it turns out that the official name of the ZOO in ATLANTA, Georgia is, in fact, ZOO ATLANTA. A pair of giant pandas, Lun Lun and Yang Yang, have lived at ZOO ATLANTA since 1999. Seven giant panda cubs have been born at ZOO ATLANTA. You might be able to glimpse the giant pandas on ZOO ATLANTA's Panda Cam.
• EPA (22A: Org. regulating PCBs) Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are carcinogenic compounds that have been banned in the U.S. since 1979. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) monitors PCB levels.
• TAME (63A: Not feral) Why yes, I did choose to highlight this answer simply so I could share a

  

  Willow having a grumpy day

  photo of my TAME (not feral) cat, Willow. The other day Willow was having a grumpy day. As you can see from my mug choice, she wasn't alone! 
• OPAL (6D: Gemstone with a boulder variety) Boulder OPALs are rocks containing thin seams and patches of OPAL. Because the veins of OPAL are thin, they cannot be separated from the rock. 
• ZEROS (26D: Six in 1,000,000) This is one of those clues that you either immediately see through, or are completely baffled by until crossing answers help you see the answer. Today, I fell into the latter category, providing an "Aha!" moment and a chuckle.
• ORCA (31D: Whale that sleeps with one eye open) Because ORCAs do not have a voluntary breathing system (as humans do), they have to remain conscious in order to remember to breathe. ORCAs get around this by only resting one half of their brain at a time. When the right half of their brain is asleep, their left eye remains open, and vice versa. 

Geography review:

• ZAGREB, CROATIA (26A: European capital on the Sava River) CROATIA is a European country that borders Slovenia, Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro, and has coastline along the Adriatic Sea. ZAGREB is CROATIA's largest city in addition to being its capital. As the clue informs us, ZAGREB, CROATIA is located on the Sava River. At 615 miles long, the Sava is the  longest tributary of the Danube.
• ALASKA (9D: Only U.S. state whose name can be typed on one row of a keyboard) This is a fun fact, and one I knew immediately because it was recently featured as a trivia question in a segment of a Boswords broadcast. Boswords is currently in its Fall Puzzle League, and for the first time, my husband and I are competing as a pair (in the easiest level of the league). So far it has been a great deal of fun, and we have managed not to get into any arguments while solving!

Three interesting theme answers elevate this basic theme into an enjoyable puzzle. For me, this puzzle was a bit more challenging to solve than usual. GIVE IT TIME was good advice, in fact. That's not a bad thing; it's good to give my brain a workout! Thank you, Zhouqin, for this puzzle that was a great way to begin my Sunday.