January 15, 2024

Title: FRESH AND TASTY (Freestyle)

Constructor: David Karp

Editor: Jared Goudsmit

Freestyle: This is a themeless puzzle. FRESH AND TASTY is a nod to FARMERS' MARKET (24A: Place where a locavore might shop).

Things I learned:

• MANGA (28D: "Sazae-san," e.g.) Sazae-san is a Japanese MANGA series that was originally published from 1946-1974. Sazae-san was written and illustrated by Machiko Hasegawa. The comic deals with everyday life in Tokyo, as seen through the life of its main character, Sazae Fuguta. An anime TV series based on the MANGA began airing in 1969, and is still in production, holding the Guinness World Record for the longest-running animated TV show.
• CYMBALS (40D: Percussion instruments such as majutaals) Majutaals are medium-sized clash CYMBALS sometimes used as an accompaniment in Indian folk music.
• EEL (42D: Mien luon fish) Miến lươn is a soup in Vietnamese cuisine made with EEL and cellophane noodles.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• ASK ME (1A: "Ooh! I know the answer!") and I LIED (13A: "OK, that wasn't the truth) Sometimes the proximity of answers in the grid seems to tell a mini-story. Such is the case with these two answers stacked in the upper left corner. "Ooh! I know the answer! ASK ME!" ... "OK, that wasn't the truth. I LIED."
• LOVE ISLAND (16A: Reality dating show with Casa Amor) LOVE ISLAND is a dating reality show franchise. The U.S. version of the show, which premiered in 2019, is based on the British version with the same name. The premise of the show is that a group of contestants live in a villa, isolated from the outside world and under video surveillance. On the first day the islanders (as the contestants are called) couple up based on their initial chemistry. Casa Amor is a twist that is introduced sometime during the series. It involves the group being split into two groups, with either the males or females staying at the original villa, and the other group moving to a second residence called "Casa Amor." New contestants are then introduced to each group, in an effort to test loyalties and produce drama. (The last half of that sentence is my take on it.)
• FARMERS' MARKET (24A: Place where a locavore might shop) A locavore is a person that eats foods grown locally as much as possible. A FARMERS' MARKET is a great source of locally grown food.
• RHO (31A: Letter after pi) Time for a mini-review of the Greek alphabet. Pi is the 16th of the Greek alphabet's 24 letters. It is followed by RHO, sigma, tau, upsilon, phi, chi, psi, and omega.
• CAMPY (40A: Like the movie "But I'm a Cheerleader") I have previously written about the CAMPY 1999 movie, But I'm a Cheerleader, which stars Clea DuVall and Natasha Lyonne.
• FLYERS (45A: Philly NHL team with Gritty) Gritty is the 7-foot-tall furry orange mascot of the NHL's Philadelphia FLYERS.
• ENYA (53A: One-named "Only Time" singer) "Who can say where the road goes? / Where the day flows? / Only time..." ENYA's song "Only Time" was released in 2000. 
• SHE'S (61A: "___ all I wanna be" (Tate McRae song)) "SHE'S all i wanna be" is a 2022 song by Tate McRae. The song's music video was inspired by the 1985 movie A Chorus Line.
• KIVA (3D: Sacred Pueblo space) Many Pueblo KIVAs are large circular rooms that are underground. A KIVA is used for spiritual and political meetings.

  

  KIVA at Mesa Verde

  This photo shows the remains of a Pueblo KIVA at Mesa Verde National Park.
• ELLIS (14D: "History of the World, Part II" actor Jay) History of the World, Part II is a limited run TV series that premiered on Hulu in March 2023. The series is a sequel to the 1981 movie History of the World, Part I. The sketch comedy show, like its movie predecessor, is a spoof of history. It's narrated by Mel Brooks. Jay ELLIS has a recurring role portraying Jesus. At first I didn't think I was familiar with this show, but reading a bit about it reminded me that I watched an episode of it with my daughter.
• ALAN (25D: Mathematician Turing) ALAN Turing (1912-1954) was a cryptanalyst, mathematician, computer scientist, logician, philosopher, and theoretical biologist. He is considered to be the father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence. I wonder what he would think of ChatGPT?
• ROLE PLAYER (26D: Person enjoying RuneQuest or D&D) RuneQuest and D&D (Dungeons & Dragons) are tabletop games that encourage fantasy ROLE playing. 
• MEMORY LANE (27D: "Path" for a nostalgic walk) This is a delightful clue. The word "path" is in quotation marks to indicate that the answer refers to a metaphorical path rather than an actual path. I'm always up for a walk down MEMORY LANE.
• OPAH (49D: Sunfish or moonfish) An OPAH is a type of fish. Its common names include sunfish, moonfish, kingfish, and redfin ocean pan. OPAH have a round body, and are unusual in that they are one of the few fish species that can regulate their internal body temperature. 

Geography review:

• ETNA (14A: Italian volcano) Mount ETNA is an active volcano on Sicily, an island in the Mediterranean Sea just off the coast of Italy. ETNA's height of just over 11,000 feet varies with eruptions.
• CAMBODIA (48A: Angkor Wat's country) Angkor Wat is a temple complex in CAMBODIA that was originally constructed as a Hindu temple in the 12th century. Towards the end of that century, Angkor Wat was transformed into a Buddhist temple. We saw ANGKOR WAT as a theme answer on May 8, 2023.
• REEF (47A: Great Barrier ___) A coral REEF is comprised of living organisms. The colonies of coral are held together by calcium carbonate they secrete. REEFs provide habitat for other marine creatures. The world's largest coral REEF system is the Great Barrier REEF, which is located off the coast of Queensland, Australia. Large enough to be seen from outer space, the Great Barrier REEF stretches over an area of approximately 133,000 square miles. (For perspective, that area would place it fifth among U.S. states, between Montana and New Mexico.) The Great Barrier REEF is comprised of over 2,900 individual REEFs, and is over 1,400 miles long.

It's a nice touch that FARMERS' MARKET and EATS AT HOME cross in this FRESH AND TASTY grid. It was also fun to see a few food related bonus answers in this freestyle puzzle: Hershey's KISSES, LATKE, SLOE gin, and don't forget the EDIBLES. Congratulations to David Karp making a USA Today debut! Thank you, David, for this puzzle that was a great way to start my Monday.

One more thing today: Registration is now open for the Boswords Winter Wondersolve, an online, one-day tournament that will be February 4. The Boswords tournaments are always a delightful way to pass some time. The puzzles are good, and the live stream is entertaining. I encourage you to check it out.