March 12, 2023

Title: IN QUESTION

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

WISHY WASHY (16A: Indecisive)

WORLD GEOGRAPHY (25A: Class with maps)

WANAMAKER TROPHY (59A: PGA Championship Prize)

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer is found IN the QUESTION word, WHY.

Things I learned:

• BAES (21A: "Tampa ___" (2021 reality show with rival power couples)) As you might guess from the title, the reality show Tampa BAES was filmed in Tampa Bay, Florida. The show followed an existing group of 12 friends, all of whom identify as lesbian. 
• ALIA (22A: "Search Party" actress Shawkat) Search Party is a dark comedy that premiered in 2016. The TV series follows the life of Dory Sief, portrayed by ALIA Shawkat. In the first season, Dory begins searching for a college acquaintance whom she believes to be in danger. 
• WANAMAKER TROPHY (59A: PGA Championship Prize) The Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) of America organizes the PGA Championship, which is held in May and is one of four major annual championships in men's golf. (The others are the Masters, the U.S. Open, and The Open Championship.) The WANAMAKER TROPHY, which is awarded to the winner of the PGA Championship, is over 2 feet tall and weighs 27 pounds. The winner of the WANAMAKER TROPHY must return it the following year to be awarded to the next winner, but is given a smaller replica of the TROPHY to keep. The WANAMAKER TROPHY is named for businessman, golfer, and heir to the WANAMAKER's department store fortune, Rodman WANAMAKER (1863-1928).
• WATER (25D: Most of the album cover for SZA's "SOS") SOS is a 2022 album by SZA. I was not familiar with the album's cover, but the answer was fairly inferable. The album's cover art, which was inspired by a photo of Princess Diana, features SZA sitting on a white diving board in front of a background of WATER.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• GHEE (19A: Butter on chapatis) Chapati is an unleavened flatbread also known as roti. (No YEAST in chapati.) Chapatis are often served with a type of clarified butter known as GHEE.
• ESME (39A: Edward's mom in "Twilight") The 2008 movie, Twilight, is the first of The Twilight Saga films based on the novels by Stephenie Meyer. In the movies, ESME Cullen, Edward's mom and the matriarch of the Cullen family, is portrayed by Elizabeth Reaser. I needed the help of crossing answers to refresh my memory on this one. 
• OSHA (50A: Worker protection org.) The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was formed in 1971, after the Occupational Safety and Health Act was enacted the previous year. OSHA's mission is "to assure safe and healthful working conditions ... by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance."
• EMUS (56A: Birds that can't walk backwards, unlike ostriches) Isn't this a fun fact? It's not known why EMUS can't walk backwards - whether it's a case of anatomy, or they simply choose not to - but they share this inability with kangaroos. 
• ON A (28D: "Snakes ___ Plane") I wrote about SNAKES ON A PLANE when we saw the movie title as a theme answer December 22, 2021. 
• YEAST (30D: Mantou ingredient) Mantou is a type of steamed bun made of YEASTed dough. Mantou originated in China, and filled mantou are known as BAO.
• MARC (31D: Fashion designer Jacobs) The first clothing line bearing the MARC Jacobs label was designed in 1986. From 1997 to 2014, MARC Jacobs was the creative director at the Louis Vuitton.
• HER (51D: "Harriet, the Moses of ___ People") Harriet, the Moses of HER People is an 1886 biography of Harriet Tubman by Sarah H. Bradford. Harriet Tubman (1822-1913) was an abolitionist and activist who escaped slavery and helped other enslaved persons escape via the Underground Railroad.

Geography review:

• RED (38A: Color of Turkey's flag) Turkey's RED flag has a white star and crescent on it. Turkey essentially inherited its flag design. After the Republic of Turkey was established in 1923, the country decided to use the last flag design of the Ottoman Empire as its flag. Here's an interesting fact about Turkey that I learned today: As of 2021, the country's official name is the Republic of Türkiye, a change made to represent and express the culture of the Turkish nation. The United Nations began using the name Türkiye in May 2022 when the request was officially made by the country. The U.S. State Department has officially used the name Türkiye since January of this year.
• ROMA (54A: Type of 44-Down named for a capital city) and TOMATO (44D: Pico de gallo ingredient) The ROMA TOMATO is a variety of plum TOMATO often used for canning and producing TOMATO paste because of its firm texture. ROMA TOMATOes are my favorite for making pico de gallo, a treat I make often when TOMATOes are in season and at their finest. ROMA TOMATOes are named for Rome, Italy's capital, and are descended from an Italian heirloom TOMATO, the San Marzano. Despite its name, the first ROMA TOMATO was developed in 1955 in Maryland by the USDA.
• LYON (66A: French city with a lion on its flag) LYON is located at the confluence of the Rhône and Saône rivers in France. It is the country's third largest city. As the clue informs us, the flag of LYON features a lion. The lion is on a red background. A blue stripe at the top of the flag features three yellow fleurs-de-lis.
• MOLOKAI (40D: Island whose highest peak is Kamakou) MOLOKAI is one of the Hawaiian islands. It is the fifth-largest and the fifth-most-populated of the eight major islands of Hawaii.

WHY? WHY? WHY? This puzzle resembles a toddler! I enjoyed this theme a lot. In addition to the answers highlighted above, I liked I HEAR YA, NAME A PRICE, AGELESS, À LA MODE, and ONE DAY ONLY. Thank you, Zhouqin, for this puzzle that was a terrific way to start my Sunday.