Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Homestyle Food
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Homestyle Food
Constructor: Dylan Schiff
Editor: Jared Goudsmit
ALLIE (15A: Activist ___ Redhorse Young) ALLIE Redhorse Young is a writer and the founder of Protect the Sacred, a grassroots organization focused on educating and empowering Navajo leaders and allies. She is a member of the Diné (Navajo) Nation in northern New Mexico.
SODA (68A: Drink such as Inca Kola) Inca Kola, also known as Golden Kola, is a SODA that originates from Peru. Its main ingredient is lemon verbena, giving it a sweet, fruity flavor. Outside of Peru, the Coca-Cola company owns the Inca Kola trademark.
TROOP (13A: Scouts BSA group) Scouts BSA is the division of BSA (Boy Scouts of America) that has programming for kids between the ages of 11 and 17. Scouts BSA participants are organized into TROOPs. Here's a heads up for you: On February 8, 2025, the organization's 115 anniversary, BSA will officially change its name to Scouting America. The name change reflects the organization's 2019 policy change that allows girls to join.
WAFFLE HOUSE (17A: Restaurant chain that serves the All-Star Special) Founded in 1955 in Georgia, WAFFLE HOUSE now has locations in 25 U.S. States. (Those states do not include Iowa, sadly.) The WAFFLE HOUSE All-Star Special includes eggs, toast, a WAFFLE, choice of bacon, sausage, or ham, and choice of grits, hash browns, or sliced tomatoes.
A TON (22A: Oodles) and A LOT (6D: Oodles) Oodles of oodles clues! Okay, two is not exactly oodles, but I couldn't resist.
MISO (27A: Soup made with dashi) Homemade dashi is made by heating water containing edible kelp and other ingredients, and then straining the liquid. Dashi powder may be used instead of making homemade stock. Dashi is used as a base for MISO soup.
PIZZA HUT (36A: Restaurant chain that once served the P'Zone) Founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas, PIZZA HUT now has locations around the world, including in all 50 U.S. states (even Iowa!). The P'zone was a calzone-style PIZZA launched by PIZZA HUT in 2002. It is currently discontinued, although the chain briefly brought it back in 2019.
EVAN (42A: "Westworld" actress ___ Rachel Wood) The TV series Westworld (2016-2022) is based on a 1973 movie of the same name. The TV show's story began in a Wild-West-themed amusement park. The hosts in the technologically advanced park are droids. The show's setting eventually expanded to the "real world," where people's lives are controlled by artificial intelligence. EVAN Rachel Wood portrays Dolores Abernathy, a host working at the amusement park. She won a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series for the role.
ASPENS (47A: "Quaking" trees) Quaking ASPENS are named because their leaves appear to tremble in even the slightest breeze. A fun fact about ASPENS is they propagate through their roots, so when you see a grove of ASPENS, it is often one organism sharing a common root system.
UNIT (50A: Mile or mole) A mile is a UNIT of length. As you might have learned at some point, a mile is equal to 5,280 feet. A mole is a UNIT used to measure the amount of a substance, particularly the number of particles. One mole is equal to 6.02214076 x 1023 entities, whether that's atoms, molecules, ions, or other particles. That number (approximately 602 sextillion) is referred to as the Avogadro number.
INDIRA (53A: Indian prime minister Gandhi) INDIRA Gandhi (1917-1984) was the prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 until her assassination in 1984. She is the only female prime minister India has had to date. Although they share a last name (which for INDIRA Gandhi was her married name), INDIRA Gandhi and Mahatma Gandhi (who led India to independence and whose likeness is featured on their currency) were not related.
EAT (55A: Chow down) This is a nice bonus answer in this restaurant-theme puzzle.
MAC ( 59A: ___ and cheese burger) A MAC and cheese burger is exactly what it sounds like, a hamburger with MAC and cheese as one of the toppings.
SHAKE SHACK (62A: Restaurant chain that serves 'Shroom Burgers) Founded in 2004 in New York City, and starting out as a hot dog cart in Madison Square Park, SHAKE SHACK now has 262 locations in the United States (but none in Iowa, sadly), as well as locations around the world. SHAKE SHACK's 'Shroom Burger is a veggie burger that consists of a fried portobello mushroom filled with melted cheddar cheese.
CLUES (7D: Crossword hints) I'm a fan of self-referential CLUES.
OKRA (58D: Veggie in some maque choux) Maque choux is a traditional dish of Louisiana. It consists of corn, green pepper, onion, and sometimes other vegetables, which are braised with bacon grease. OKRA is one of the vegetables that is sometimes included in the dish.
A few other CLUES I especially enjoyed:
PEEVES (31A: "Pet" frustrations)
NPR TOTE (41D: Iconic bag from a D.C. broadcaster)
HID (63D: Avoided the seeker, in a kids' game)
WAFFLE HOUSE (17A: Restaurant chain that serves the All-Star Special)
PIZZA HUT (36A: Restaurant chain that once served the P'Zone)
SHAKE SHACK (62A: Restaurant chain that serves 'Shroom Burgers)
HOMESTYLE FOOD: Each theme answer is a restaurant chain whose name is comprised of a FOOD (first word) and a STYLE of HOME (second word).
This is a clever theme. It's fun that the theme uses both parts of each theme answer. I also appreciated the choice to clue each theme answer in a parallel manner, [Restaurant chain that serves (or once served) "menu item"]. The only problem I see with this theme is that it has made me hungry. Thank you, Dylan, for this delightful puzzle.
One more thing: Occasionally I like to mention things that are happening in the broader crossword world, and today I have two things to share with you. The first one is the Boswords Winter Wondersolve, an online crossword tournament that will happen this coming Sunday from 1:00-4:30 pm Eastern Time. It's not too late to sign up, and I highly recommend it. Boswords holds four events a year – one each season – and they are always worthwhile and extremely enjoyable.
Secondly, some folks in the crossword community put together the ORCA Awards each year, to honor great puzzles and clues from the previous year. Voting is currently open for the 13th ORCA Awards. I always enjoy looking at the ballot as a way to marvel at the many crosswords available. The ORCA awards ceremony will be online on February 24 at 9:00 pm Eastern time.
USA TODAY's Daily Crossword Puzzles
Sudoku & Crossword Puzzle Answers
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Crossword Blog & Answers for January 30, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher
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