January 18, 2023

Title: 2K CALORIES

Constructor: Rafael Musa

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

BOKKEUM-BAP (16A: Korean fried rice) 

TIKKA MASALA (24A: Creamy orange dish with chicken or paneer)

POTLIKKER (45A: Liquid from boiling greens)

PORK KIDNEY (60A: Leopold's butcher shop purchase in "Ulysses")

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer is a food whose name contains 2 Ks.

Things I learned:

• BOKKEUM-BAP (16A: Korean fried rice) BOKKEUM-BAP is made by stir-frying BAP (cooked rice) with other ingredients. Many varieties of BOKKEUM-BAP are made, and dishes are often named by placing the name of the prominent ingredient at the front. For example, kimchi fried rice is named kimchi BOKKEUM-BAP.
• POTLIKKER (45A: Liquid from boiling greens) POTLIKKER, also spelled "pot liquor," is exactly what the clue describes, the liquid left behind after boiling greens (such as collard greens, mustard greens, or turnip greens) or beans. This liquid contains nutrients leached from the greens, and is rich in iron, as well as vitamins A, C, and K. The history of POTLIKKER is linked to the southern United States, where enslaved cooks saved the nutrient-rich broth for their families. Here are a couple of articles about POTLIKKER if you'd like to know more: one from Bon Appétit, and one from Wide Open Eats. 
• PORK KIDNEY (60A: Leopold's butcher shop purchase in "Ulysses") Ulysses by James Joyce was first published in its entirety in 1922, after being published serially in the journal, The Little Review, from 1918 to 1920. It's a literary classic, praised for its stream-of-consciousness writing. However, I haven't read it, so I did not know that the main character, Leopold Bloom, famously eats PORK KIDNEY for breakfast. Here's an excerpt of Ulysses that mentions PORK KIDNEY. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• TIKKA MASALA (24A: Creamy orange dish with chicken or paneer) TIKKA MASALA is made by marinating chunks of chicken or paneer in spiced yogurt, then roasting it and serving it in a creamy sauce that usually contains tomatoes and coconut cream. The dish's characteristic orange color is a result of spices such as turmeric and paprika.
• SALTINE (34A: Cracker with 13 holes) Have you ever wondered why crackers have holes? It's not just SALTINEs that have holes, of course, but also graham crackers, Ritz crackers, etc. These holes - called docking holes - allow steam to escape during the baking process, keeping the cracker flat instead of puffed up. The 13 evenly-spaced holes on a SALTINE cracker that are arranged in a 3-2-3-2-3 pattern, are made by a machine called a docker, just before the crackers are baked.
• TEAK (35D: Water-resistant wood) The water-resistant quality of TEAK makes it popular for boatmaking, as referenced in the November 17, 2022 puzzle. 
• TEA EGG (46D: Marbled Chinese snack) A TEA EGG is a savory snack made by cracking hard boiled EGGs and then boiling them again in TEA and spices, resulting in a marbled pattern.
• YAO (62D: Former NBA star Ming) I have previously written about YAO Ming.

Geography review:

• UTE (14A: Southern ___ Indian Reservation, Colorado) The Southern UTE Indian Reservation is located along the New Mexico border in southwestern Colorado. 
• EAST (15A: Chile-to-Argentina direction) Chile is a long (2,670 miles north to south) and narrow (217 miles EAST to west) country located on the western edge of South America. If you were to travel west or south from Chile, you would find yourself in the Pacific Ocean. Traveling north from Chile will take you into Peru or Bolivia. You could also arrive in Bolivia by traveling EAST from the far northern section of Chile. From most places in Chile, traveling EAST will take you to Argentina.
• LANKA (56D: Colombo, Sri ___) Colombo is the largest city in Sri Lanka, and one of the island country's two capitals. Colombo is Sri LANKA's executive and judicial capital. The legislative capital of Sri LANKA is Sri Jayawardenepura Lotte.
• NORWAY (13D: Svalbard's country) Svalbard is an archipelago (group of islands) in the Arctic Ocean, located about midway between NORWAY and the North Pole. The town of Longyearbyen, with a population of about 1,700 people, is the largest inhabited area of Svalbard. It is also the world's northernmost settlement with a population over 1,000. Due to its remoteness, and climate,

  

  Willow, who will not be moving to Longyearbyen

  
  Longyearbyen has some unique laws. One of those laws, Willow was distraught to learn, is a ban on cats. This law, enacted in 1992, is for the protection of the area's wildlife. Speaking of wildlife, another law in Longyearbyen is that anyone going outside of the town is required to carry a weapon for protection against polar bears. You're also not allowed to give birth in Longyearbyen; pregnant people are required to go to mainland Norway to give birth. And while it's not against the law to die there, you can't be buried in Longyearbyen. Because of the permafrost, bodies do not decompose. (Can you tell that I went down a bit of a rabbit hole learning about Svalbard, NORWAY?)
• LAKE (22D: Tahoe or Titicaca) LAKE Tahoe is a freshwater LAKE in the Sierra Nevada mountains, located on the Nevada-California border in the United States. LAKE Titicaca is a freshwater LAKE in the Andes mountains, located on the Bolivia-Peru border in west-central South America.

It is perhaps appropriate that this food-laden grid contains a SODA to wash down these dishes, as well as a BIB to keep our clothes clean. From a constructing standpoint, Ks can be KINDA SORTA tricky to work with, so the smooth fill here is impressive. I also appreciated that the theme answers were accessible even when I wasn't familiar with them. Thank you, Rafa, for this puzzle that was a great way to start my Wednesday.