August 12, 2023

Title: "WELL, NOW I'M HUNGRY!" (FREESTYLE)

Constructor: Amanda Rafkin

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Freestyle: This is a themeless puzzle. "WELL, NOW I'M HUNGRY!" is an appropriate title for a puzzle with a plethora of food related answers and clues. (I counted nine, but I might have missed some.)

Things I learned:

• AUBREY (24A: "Ingrid Goes West" actress Plaza) Ingrid Goes West is a 2017 movie about a young woman that moves to Los Angeles in an attempt to befriend a social media influencer. AUBREY Plaza portrays the title character. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• INTO (14A: "___ the Unknown" ("Frozen II" song)) In the 2019 movie, Frozen II, ELSA sings "Into the Unknown" in response to hearing a call from The Voice. Idina Menzel, who voiced ELSA sang the song, which featured Norwegian singer and songwriter, Aurora, as The Voice.
• LAO (19A: Language similar to Thai) LAO is the official language of Laos, and Thai is the official language of Thailand. Both LAO and Thai are in the Kra-Dai language family. Kra-Dai languages are tonal, using pitch to convey meanings of words. 
• PERI-PERI (26A: Hot sauce made with red chilis) PERI-PERI sauce, sometimes spelled piri-piri, is made from PERI-PERI peppers, which are also known as African Bird's Eye chili peppers.
• MEXICAN COKE (35A: Imported soft drink sweetened with white sugar) The use of cane sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup is the answer to the question, "Why Does MEXICAN COKE Taste Different Than American Coke?"
• LONI (37A: Comedian Love) Comedian, actress, and former electrical engineer, LONI Love was one of the co-hosts of the TV talk show, The Real (2013-2022).
• DORITO (32A: Nacho Cheese or Cool Ranch chip) and TAKIS (51A: Brand of spicy, rolled corn chips) Here's to the chips! DORITOs is an American brand of chips, with a triangular shape, sold in a variety of flavors. TAKIS is a Mexican brand of chips, with a rolled shape, also sold in a variety of flavors.
• ERG (57A: Rowing machine, for short) An indoor rowing machine is sometimes referred to as an ergometer, or ERG.
• ARTIST (58A: Kara Walker or Faith Ringgold, e.g.) Kara Walker is an ARTIST best known for her panoramic works of black cut-paper silhouettes against a white wall. Faith Ringgold is an ARTIST whose works include paintings, sculpture, and narrative quilts. She has also done performance art incorporating some of her works, and has written and illustrated 17 children's books.
• POETIC (61A: Word before "justice" or "license") Often when I encounter "word before" or "word after" clues, nothing immediately comes to mind, and I simply move on and wait for some help from crossing answers. However, I was able to fill POETIC in immediately. I've always liked the sound of the phrases, "POETIC justice," (meaning virtue is rewarded and misdeeds are punished) and "POETIC license" (reinterpretation of fact for artistic purposes).
• LET'S PUT A PIN IN IT (7D: "We should circle back to this later") This is a fun phrase and a lively grid-spanning answer.
• ADONIS (13D: Mythological hot guy) I wrote about ADONIS in May.
• YURI (25D: Genre of Japanese media that focuses on intimate relationships between female characters) Manga are graphic novels originating from Japan. Works in the YURI genre of manga depict intimate relationships between women. This can include romantic love, spiritual love, friendships, and rivalry.
• I BROKE IT (27D: Guilty response to "Why doesn't this work anymore?") This clue made me chuckle. 

Geography review:

• SEAS (62A: They're represented by Triton's seven daughters) In Greek mythology, Triton is a god of the SEA, who's usually represented as a merman. The Triton referred to here, King Triton of The Little Mermaid, was named for the Greek god. The seven daughters of King Triton are Ariel (aka the Little Mermaid), Attina, Alana, Adella, Aquata, Arista, and Andrina. In the 2023 live-action version of The Little Mermaid, Ariel's sisters are renamed Perla, Indira, Karina, Caspia, Mala, and Tamika. It's said that these seven sisters represent the Seven SEAS. The term "Seven SEAS" has been used to refer to various bodies of water, including the oceans (with the Pacific and Atlantic split into north and south portions). One common usage of the term is to refer to the following SEAS: Adriatic SEA, Aegean SEA, Black SEA, Caspian SEA, Mediterranean SEA, Persian Gulf, and the Red SEA.
• MAINE (8D: Northeastern state where lobster rolls are often enjoyed) The lobster is the state crustacean of MAINE, so it makes sense that the state is known for its lobster rolls. A lobster roll consists of lobster meat served on a hot-dog-style bun. 

I think Amanda has food on her mind! In the past six weeks, we've seen puzzles from her titled COOKIE MONSTER, A DATE TO THE JEWISH DELI, "EAT UP!" and today's offering, "WELL, NOW I'M HUNGRY!" This is not at all a complaint - I do like food! - merely an observation. Thank you, Amanda, for this puzzle that was a fabulous way to start my Saturday.