January 17, 2023

Title: DIVIDED NATION

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

NEWS STATION (3D: Al Arabiya or CNN International)

NEXT GENERATION (14D: State-of-the-art)

NO RELATION (28D: "Their shared last name is just a coincidence)

Theme synopsis: The word NATION is DIVIDED by each theme answer.

Things I learned:

• CASHEW (21A: Springfield-style ___ chicken) Springfield-style CASHEW chicken is a variation on the stir-fried dish CASHEW chicken, that originated in Springfield, Missouri. Springfield-style CASHEW chicken features chunks of chicken that have been breaded and deep-fried. The dish was created by David Leong, the founder of Leong's Asian Diner. Although I grew up in Missouri, I never lived near Springfield, and I'm sad to say I've never tried Springfield-style CASHEW chicken.
• ALO (50A: Brand of yoga pants) ALO Yoga is a brand of athletic leisurewear launched in 2007. 
• HOLE (9D: Middle of a vada) Vadas are fried snacks that originated in India. Shaped like a donut, with a HOLE in the middle, vadas are similar to fritters. They are made with legumes, sago, or potato, and are sometimes stuffed with vegetables. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• EDIE (33A: "What I Am" singer Brickell) "What I Am" is a 1988 song by EDIE Brickell & New Bohemians, from their debut album, Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars.
• RAIL (44A: Grind ___ (skate park feature)) A grind RAIL is used to do skateboarding tricks such as grinds (thus the name) and slides. 
• CANNELLONI (57A: Pasta similar to manicotti) CANNELLONI and manicotti are tubular pastas that are usually served stuffed and baked.
• MUSIC (1D: Cantopop or Zamrock) Cantopop is pop MUSIC sung in Cantonese. Zamrock is a genre of MUSIC that originated in Zambia. It is a fusion of tradition African MUSIC, rock, blues, and funk.
• NEWS STATION (3D: Al Arabiya or CNN International) Al Arabiya is an international Arabic NEWS STATION with headquarters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. CNN International is a NEWS STATION with headquarters in Atlanta, New York City, London, Hong Kong, Mumbai, and Abu Dhabi.
• OTIS (5D: Blues legend Rush) I learned about blues guitarist OTIS Rush (1934-2018) from the November 30, 2022 puzzle.
• NIA (59D: Actress Long) In the movie, Missing, scheduled to be released on Friday, NIA Long plays the role of Grace Allen, a woman who goes missing while on vacation in Colombia with her new boyfriend. Storm Reid plays the role of Grace's daughter, June, who searches for her mother.

Geography review:

• IRAN (38A: Googoosh's country) Googoosh is the professional name of Faegheh Atashin, a singer who has been called "The Voice of IRAN." At the age of nine, Googoosh made her debut singing in a movie. Her career took off in the 1970s, and then came to an abrupt halt in 1979. Following the Iranian Revolution, the government of IRAN forbade Googoosh from singing or performing. In 2000, Googoosh left IRAN and returned to performing with a series of concerts titled the Googoosh Comeback Tour. Googoosh continues to sing and tour. Her most recent album, Twenty One, was released in 2021, to kick off her Twenty-One World Tour. If you'd like to learn more about Googoosh, I recommend this NPR article, and this Spin article. The Spin article talks about what Googoosh means to Iranians around the world. 
• RIO (42A: Brazilian city, for short) RIO de Janeiro is the second most populous city in Brazil, following São Paulo. RIO is a popular tourist destination known for its beaches, its carnivals, and its music.
• OHIO (62A: Buckeye Chuck's state) OHIO is nicknamed "The Buckeye State." Buckeye Chuck is OHIO's official weather-predicting groundhog, a status he has held since 1979 when the OHIO legislature declared Buckeye Chuck the official state groundhog. Buckeye Chuck lives in Marion, OHIO, where I'm sure he is getting ready for Groundhog Day, since February 2 is just a couple of weeks away.
• LARGO (63A: Key ___, Florida) The Florida Keys are an archipelago - a group of islands - off the southern coast of Florida. Key LARGO is the largest of about island in the Florida Keys. About 30 miles long, Key LARGO is connected to mainland Florida by the Overseas Highway and the Sound Card Road. 
• MECCA (25D: Holiest city in Islam) MECCA, Saudi Arabia is home to Islam's most important mosque, Masjid al-Haram, which I have previously written about. 
• ORE (60D: Portland's st.) Portland, Oregon (ORE) is the largest of multiple cities in the world that share its name. Nineteen U.S. states have cities named Portland. There is a Portland, in New Zealand, Canada, and Australia. Additionally, there are variations on the name, such as Cape Portland, Portland Point, Portland City, etc.

When I saw the title of today's puzzle, it reminded me of yesterday's puzzle. If you somehow missed Erik's Agard's puzzle, 'TIS THE SEASON, I encourage you to seek it out. Today we have a more straightforward theme representing a DIVIDED NATION. A great set of theme answers here. Thank you, Zhouqin, for this puzzle that was an enjoyable way to start my Tuesday.