This tasty puzzle left me hungry for more. The puzzle highlighted one of my favorite foods — MAPOTOFU. When I was learning how to cook during my college years, it was one of the first things I learned how to cook. After graduating, I was looking for a summer job and walked into a Chinese restaurant here in suburban Ardmore where my fiancée and I had enjoyed several meals and asked for a job. To my surprise, the owners interviewed me. On the strength of my ability to describe how to cook MAPOTOFU (and perhaps also because I agreed to tutor their 8 year old son in English) they offered me a job as the third cook. I spent a great summer learning the restaurant trade and the secrets of Chinese cooking. Fast forward 20 years, and after years of living in Philly I moved back to Ardmore, and went back to eat at the restaurant, where the son was now the head chef, and he and I are friends to this day.
@Marshall Walthew What a great story. My mother used to make mapo tofu, but I never tried. Maybe you can share your recipe!
@Marshall Walthew I love this story! I lived in Chester County and we’d often take regional rail to Ardmore for dinner rather than go all the way into the city. Beautiful place to live and eat!
@Marshall Walthew What a sweet story! You just made wandering into a Tuesday thread worthwhile. I'd never even heard of Ardmore and now you guys are making me want to visit and eat Chinese food there. :) ____________________ Jesse Goldberg 8/28/2024 for Puzzle of the Decade (emu filler)
@Marshall Walthew Are you talking about Hunan? I had many wonderful meals there, although I think it closed at some point in the past couple of years, after having been in business for almost fifty years.
@Michael It was indeed Hunan. Sadly, the restaurant closed about a year ago, much to the dismay of its many loyal patrons. Its doors had been open for almost 50 years. When it opened in the mid 70s, it was a very brave venture, serving authentic Hunanese cuisine to a suburban populace that was weaned on chop suey and chow mein as exotic Chinese fare, although I guess, because of Ardmore’s proximity to Philadelphia with its vibrant Chinatown, Ardmore was a little more prepared to be adventurous than some places might have been. The owners, my friend Chris and his parents, are some of the finest people I know.
@Marshall Walthew I'm from Wynnewood! I know the restaurant! I also filled in MAPO TOFU from the clue without having any of the crosses
Awesome debut, and you can see all the work that went into making it work so well, so that even if you didn't know something, like John Cho, you could get it on the crosses with a little more work than usual. (With Star Trek on my mind, I got Jean-Luc Picard and Jean-Luc Goddard confused and thought it was another Trek clue. Indeed, Alphaville is a Marxist, New Wave, noir version of Star Trek: think of the Grand Omega Minus, where activists are sent out into the galaxies to foment rebellions. But I do go on). It's interesting that this puzzle dates from 2021, when AG Barr was still a fresh in our minds, and when DOGE didn't yet bear the tarnished fingerprints of Elon Musk and his evil sidekicks. Now it took a few moments to summon Barr's chipmunk visage and vacant, defiant stare. Empty calories. Yup. Going to make me a Mai Tai, have some mocha torte, maybe some milk toffee, too. This puzzle made me hungry! Meat Tornado. Good one.
(second try) That is one poppin’ good theme, with every theme answer and the reveal appearing in the NYT puzzle for the first time in its more than 80 years. And all those answers had verve. That set the tone for the whole puzzle, which, to me, had a fresh feel from top to bottom. Part of it was just from the images that came popping into my mind: baseball cap, Adrien Brody’s face, mapo tofu on a plate, pickles in a jar, choppy waters, soccer official holding up a card, an elephant flapping its ears. But the best imagining was working to hear that dialup sound. Hah! What a ridiculously silly fantastic clue! Then there was the amazing TIL that the Mona Lisa was painted on wood, along with brushes with beauty (WREAK, LITANY, PONY UP). Not to mention the lovely fauna (MOOSE, MAHI, ELEPHANT, and the father of a mule). One happy ping after another, this puzzle was a mood elevator from top to bottom. All on a maiden Times puzzle, and oh yes, I’m eager to see more. Congratulations on your debut, Henry, and thank you for an exhilarating outing!
@Lewis, I'm sure I speak for many when I say I appreciate your daily post, without whose positivism these comments might become a mere LITANY of PEEVES, a forum for Half-ASSed, would-be COMICs, and, in general a DAIS for EMPTY EGOs. (Mine included.)
@Lewis Agreed on all counts! I couldn't have said it better myself!
Ahhhh. Empty calories and dial up, could anything else better remind me of the 90’s? This puzzle is a treat. Thanks🥰
@Red Carpet Really the only thing that bothered me was the Wordplay column referencing dial-up and a "landline" in the same sentence. When people relied on dial-up modems, the phone was just called.... the phone. Obviously it became necessary to use "landline" to distinguish it only after cell phones became prevalent, and even then it took 10 or 20 years to move beyond geek lingo.... This was a little like seeing a similarity anachronistic reference to cave men riding dinosaurs. :) Cute Tuesday puzzle. And the constructor's name seems built for crossword authorship. I know it wasn't intended but I wonder whether some will object that mapo tofu isn't junk food. ____________________ Jesse Goldberg 8/28/2024 for Puzzle of the Decade (emu filler)
Tuesday was more difficult at first for me, and then fell neatly and quickly into place. LINUX popped up like magic but DOGE, MEATTORNADO and a couple others took longer. There was a time when I would have called my daughter from across time zones to tell her BTS was mentioned. Friends, I lived through a level of fanaticism with her that I would have thought was a gross exaggeration if I saw it on television or read it in a book! Every cell in her body was BTS coded 🤣. She talked about “the boys” all day, everyday. She spent her part time job money on exorbitant concert tickets. She ~camped out in a tent~ outside said concerts, along with a throng of other fanatics. She knew every detail about every group member. It was exhausting as a mom, but bittersweet. Now, she’s a grown lady living 3,700 miles away from me with a career, a partner, bills and a whole life that I’m about 5% aware of. *Sigh* Anyway, if that LITANY of complaints about those fan years doesn’t make me drink a morning COSMO 🍹🍸🍷 then I think I’m safe 😊. Have a great day, everyone!
@Pani Korunova “ Now, she’s … living 3,700 miles away from me with a career, a partner, bills and a whole life that I’m about 5% aware of. *Sigh*” I felt this in my bones. So happy for them. Just seems to happen overnight…
@Pani Korunova It was One Direction with my girl; from their individual auditions on X Factor onwards. She’s currently in mourning, despite being in a similar position to your daughter.
@Helen Wright OMG I am very sorry for what your daughter must still be going through. Few people understand the intense connection that doesn’t fully disappear because of adulthood. I never experienced that as GenX but I imagine Elvis stans did. We’re still mom at these moments, and always.
@CCNY you are so right. I am stunned that we are where we are. That nest is empty as heck. It’s bizarre but also the natural order of things. *Sigh*
The clue for 44D is wrong: It should be beep beep beeHAW beeHAW beeeEEEeeep SHRHRHRHRH The last beep was too short. I wish the editors would get on this kind of stuff, as it is ruining the crossword for everyone.
SETUP DIAL UP INK UP PONY UP What’s up with that? I’ll join the MAPO TOFU fan appreciation club! One of my favourite dishes and one that I like to make from time to time. I can’t say any of the other food items appealed, although my two favourite summer drinks were there - COSMO and BEER. Happy DAIS at the BARR!
@Andrew I came here to acknowledge the same thing. It initially had me second-guessing myself, as if all the ‘UPs’ were a mistake. Then it had me wondering if it was intentionally theme-adjacent, correlated to the ‘P’ within ‘MPT’ of EMPTY CALORIES… Maybe that’s a stretch. Emus, while tall, can’t go too high up.
@Andrew Duplicates in grids don’t usually bother me, and I wasn’t conscious of those UPs while solving, but even by Will Shortz’s standards, that’s a bit ridiculous.
I was really out at sea with this one, had no idea what many of the entries were all about. Maybe I'm getting old? What is moose tracks? Mapo tofu? is this something that is popular? mini twix? meat tornado? Really? These words are from another planet. I'm sure a lot of effort went into this but it was just too strange for me.
@Asher I was just as lost as you were, and had to rely on crosses to get those answers. It's not about getting old, but rather about the perils of having a trivia-based theme: if you don't know it you're gonna have a worse time than if you do.
@Asher Me too. Plus the pop music (I sound like my own Dad on the subject of the Beatles!)
@Asher Moose Tracks is vanilla ice cream with fudge and peanut butter cup fragments or minis.
Someone please save me from the rock I've been living under! Maybe it's because tofu isn't my food preference, but I shamefully admit to never having heard of the dish. Also, never having watched "Parks and Recreation," MEAT TORNADO could just as well have been MEga TsuNAmi were it not for the crosses. The one that bruised my ego, though, was thinking the Mona Lisa might have been painted on WOOl. Was WOOD taught in the one Art History class I skipped to go to the beach instead? Quite possibly. One thing I do know very well is DIAL-UP. Tired of the constant wait and wasted time, I once told my modem, "You do your thing while I go take my shower (*and* have breakfast, *and*...) I stuck with this M.O. every morning thereafter. By the way, that was my favorite clue. Thank you for that and for a great debut, Mr. Lin-David. Congratulations!
@sotto voce I first heard of it at Serious Eats a bunch of years ago. I don't think I've ever had it. Despite the tofu, many/most versions aren't vegetarian. :( ____________________ Jesse Goldberg 8/28/2024 for Puzzle of the Decade (emu filler)
Loved the DIAL UP clue. Totally said aloud. Nice morning chuckle. Husband raised a brow, but it’s too early to explain. A Sulu *and* a Jean LUC? Nice! Thank you Henry!
What a strange puzzle this was for me. I knew none of the themed entries, which made things quite difficult for a Tuesday. Trivia-based themes are not my favorite. In the end I managed to fill the grid without outside help but I can't say I particularly enjoyed it. It didn't inspire me to post anything interesting, either.
@Andrzej I needed lots of crosses for meat tornado, but was at least a little familiar with the others. And I love mapo tofu, and am surprised it's not on your radar. Is Chinese food uncommon in Poland? Perhaps you'll enjoy some when you visit New York
Haha. Brought to mind… When asked for the abbreviation for Montana, I say MT as “in big empty state”!
@Clare There is an a legendary story that at one time the football helmets for Middle Tennessee State University, had an MT on each side of the helmet.
Flying elephants, the sound of a dial-up modem, Parks and Recreation, silly food theme. Utterly delightful Tuesday solve from start to finish. The constructor’s comments were charming too. It got me thinking. Do I say EM-tee or EMP-tee? I think I say EMP-tee. Didn’t detract from my enjoyment, however. Off to jury duty.
@Cyndie Most likely, you say EMP-tee when you're thinking about it, and EM-tee the rest of the time. At the very least, your P undergoes reduction. And if the word were "emty", you'd pronounce it exactly the same way, because the mouth wants to transition between the M and the T.
@Cyndie - there is a caesura or hiatus at the P of empty for many if not most English speakers; the P is an unreleased stop, indicated by the top half of this symbol ] following the letter P. That is to say it is extremely rare to actually say “emp’ty” with an articulated P’; people either say /emti:/ or /emp.ti:/. Not a P, but a cessation of vibration on the M sound.
@Steve L You’re probably right about that. And I know I pronounce ‘you’re’ like ‘your’.
Nice debut, Henry. I loved your clue for DIAL UP. Really captures the sound perfectly.
To quote Ron Swanson is Parks & Rec: "You had me at Meat Tornado."
@RI guy I've been doing the crossword for years now and I've never commented but Parks and Rec is my favorite show of all time and I had to get on here to say how truly happy I was to see this clue.
Imagine getting that dial-up modem clue through in your debut puzzle, what a coup! Great stuff!
@Dave I hope I'll find that explained somewhere in these comments. I guess I've never done it dial-up and can't imagine what it would be like .
I used to have a TOOLROOM but my BARCART was getting too cramped so converted them to a TOOLcart and a BARroom. My own little EDEN!! Fun puzzle and theme. My only problem is that my brain continually insists on spelling it DiaS instead of DAIS. Easily with only a small hit to my EGO.
@HeathieJ Don't worry about switching letters. Even the Commissioner of Football, when announcing the draft pick, said "Bret Fav-ray", rather than "Bret FarV"
A COSMO, pickles and MAPOTOFU, then some MINITWIX… makes a meal.
Is it just me, or did this puzzle feel much harder than a Tuesday? While the theme was consistent with a Tuesday difficulty, I was nearly 3 minutes over my average. Some clues felt verging on the Wednesday part of the spectrum, and some stretching into Thursday category, which doesn't not feel right for a Tuesday. It's a clever theme, but what is a TOOLROOM? Didn't everybody, when they first read the clue, thought TOOLBOX?
@Harry not just you. Took me longer than a normal Tuesday. Never had or heard of any of the EMPTY CALORIES I arrived at the MT soon enough which helped. Probably too easy for Wednesday. A late night Tuesday puzzle.
@Harry , Not just you.
@Harry A TOOLROOM is where Tool and Die Makers work. Many factories have them.
I noticed the M Ts fairly quickly, but still found this difficult for a Tuesday, but no problem, I still had fun. It’s also fun when the constructor is so excited, and hopefully that means we will be seeing more from Henry.
James Agee. A Death in the Family. Prologue. Starting up a jalopy. If you enjoyed the clue for 44D, do yourself a favor. Get that book and start reading (letters on a page) and turn AGEE from crosswordese into a brilliant writer. It’s too bad I waste my finger pokes on these posts, since NONE of them ever get through.
@David Connell I have no idea what you're on about. "A Death in the Family" was a Batman story line where Robin gets killed by the Joker, in a warehouse explosion. No clue who this Agee person is, but I've seen his name in crossword puzzles.
I lost my original writeup and have no energy to reproduce it -- so let's just say that I hate TOFU, would never mix peanut butter with fudge, and hadn't heard of any of these MT concoctions. But I liked the wordplay of the puzzle and its relative Tuesday crunchiness. And now a word about the TOOL ROOM: Last week we had to guess whether it was a TOOL KIT, TOOL BOX, or TOOL SET. Today the tools have their own entire ROOM. It looks like tools are taking over the entire world -- or at least the NYTXW.
I'm feeling a little peckish, just going to pop over to the FOOD ROOM and make myself a snack.
@Eric Indeed! Though most people just keep their tools in the CAR ROOM, I'd expect. And after using, a thorough cleanup in the FAUCET ROOM before snack time. ____________________ Jesse Goldberg 8/28/2024 for Puzzle of the Decade (emu filler)
Really fun! Henry you nailed 44D.
An odd Tuesday combination of Monday-easy fills and pop entertainment that made me (rightly, sometimes) mistrust the easy clues but accept that I would have to get them to figure out the TV and movie names. While I have heard of "Parks and Recreation," I have never seen it; I had long since forgotten that John Cho was "Lt. Sulu"; AdRien Brody gave me something to go on for the Hammer home, but the R nixed the known tool sheds and toolboxes. So I asked my husband, (Master of Arcana) for help, and he remembered Nevil Shute's novel "Trustee from the TOOLROOM." I have never constructed a crossword puzzle, but I know how difficult it must be, especially for a debut, so my congratulations to you, Henry Lin-David. You really got me going!
@dutchiris Hah! So that is TWO of us who mention that novel. I didn't register the author's name (I read it in my teens, I think) but it's nice to know someone else found it memorable!
The constructor notes are just delightful. What a fun, supportive family!
Seems from the comments that this one skewed a bit younger than a lot of recent puzzles, but I hope the constructor doesn’t take the more persnickety comments to heart. This was fresh, funny, and surprising - a nearly perfect Tuesday.
@Zintis I don't think "the youngs" listening to BTS would know the sounds of DIAL-UP internet. The puzzle seemed quite balanced to me.
I have a tool room. It is made out of red sheet metal and it is almost exactly the size of a bread box. Smallest room in the house and that's saying something.
Thanks Henry, there's four things I'd never heard of before this puzzle!
@Dave S, that was three things for me...both I and a 6-year-old grandchild enjoy Moose Tracks ice cream
That was fun. Loved 44D and 56A. Great debut puzzle, Henry!
Just here to add my appreciation for 44D. That’s just how I would have spelled the clue! Great debut.
So much to love about this puzzle! “Beep beep beHAW” etc. was hilariously accurate and oddly nostalgic in a non-wistful kind of way. I’ve never heard of Moosetracks, but now I want some, very badly. Who knew Mule’s dad was such a jerk? And any reference to Parks and Rec is going to make me smile, so thanks for that. Oh, any for anyone complaining about a Tool Room, they exist. Mine used to be called a garage.
@Heidi - My former garage is also full of tools, but I call it a workshop.
An elephant never regrets!
@ad absurdum True... although they often egret. <a href="https://images.app.goo.gl/PS4AN6RiznLHVhLM8" target="_blank">https://images.app.goo.gl/PS4AN6RiznLHVhLM8</a>
With all of the UPs (SET UP, INK UP, PONY UP, DIAL-UP), I started to wonder if it was part of the theme!
So fun! 44D gave me a huge smile. Could live without MIRAMAX but on the other hand it really is ok for puzzles to have ugly words. Can’t wait for more—thank you Henry!
@Ben Despite its reprehensible ownership, it did produce many excellent movies, whose directors, actors, etc., should not be tinged by association.
What a tasty puzzle! I did this just about 5 minutes faster than my average Tuesday. I'm going to reward myself with my favorite food group, EMPTY CALORIES 😜
Thanks for the shout out to Jean-LUC Godard on the anniversary of the day of his birth. Godard's is one of the few birthdays on my Google calendar. He changed film editing forever with BREATHLESS. This bit of self-indulgence contains a nod or two to Godard. <a href="https://vietnamgardens.hotlikethedesert.com" target="_blank">https://vietnamgardens.hotlikethedesert.com</a>/
Now I could go for a nice slice of MOCHA Torte! <a href="https://dairyfarmersofcanada.ca/en/canadian-goodness/recipes/mocha-buttercream-torte" target="_blank">https://dairyfarmersofcanada.ca/en/canadian-goodness/recipes/mocha-buttercream-torte</a>
I know I keep my hammer in a tool room—said no one ever. Otherwise a nice puzzle.
Congratulations on a fun NYT debut, Mr. Lin-David! Nicely done!
Add me to the list of people who found this unusually difficult for a Tuesday. Maybe it's small-town Vermont talking, but never heard of MAPOTOFU (although I would zip right by any menu item that includes tofu, so that could also explain it), and I found MOOSETRACKS to be similarly obscure,, even though once I got it it sounded like something that originated here at Ben & Jerry's. Twix? Never had one myself, but also never tried unsuccessfully to buy one, unlike George Costanza: <a href="https://youtu.be/hUs9KaOTcOU?si=QPFt4pTQXLGWMmDq" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/hUs9KaOTcOU?si=QPFt4pTQXLGWMmDq</a>
@Jack McCullough I agree, Mr. Mayor. A record slow Tuesday for me.
Well, I see at least one example already, but I can't help but wonder if this one was unusually difficult for some of the other boomers in this community. Just quite a few unknowns or things that I was at least never going to connect to the clues. Had to google some stuff and somehow managed to work it all out. And... never really caught on to the theme until after I was done and went back and reviewed and pondered. Not a complaint - that's all on me. Might post some puzzle finds in replies later. We'll see. ...
@Rich in Atlanta Oh... here's one puzzle find. Thought this was kind of cute. A Sunday from April 16, 1995 by Matt Gaffney with the title: "Capitalists." Here's a couple of clues and answers that led me to grasp what was going on: "Girl of a 1925 song :" SWEETATLANTABROWN "Two-time Pulitzer-winning playwright :" NASHVILLEWILLIAMS And here's a couple of others: "Ford portrayal :" INDIANAPOLISJONES "Author who served as U.S. minister to Spain :" OLYMPIAIRVING Here's the Xword Info link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=4/16/1995&g=16&d=D" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=4/16/1995&g=16&d=D</a> ...
@Rich in Atlanta I am most definitely a Boomer, and this equalled my fastest time for a Tuesday. I don't care for tofu, and didn't know the dish, but had no issue with the clue since I filled it in easily on the crosses. I think the Down clues were easier for me than the Across clues. Regardless, I found it easily solved, and TBH, I totally forgot about the theme until I was done and read Sam's column. I think my last letter was an unknown and I took a chance with it... and was rewarded with the happy music.
Has anyone in this discussion ever read/heard/said the word "toolroom"?
@Kevin I can imagine that there are some people who have enough rooms and tools to have a tool room.
Kevin, It has already been discussed in this discussion.
<a href="https://alliedmodular.com/what-is-a-tool-room-a-quick-guide" target="_blank">https://alliedmodular.com/what-is-a-tool-room-a-quick-guide</a>/ FWIW
@Kevin There was an interesting novel published a few decades back: _Trustee from the Toolroom_.. It was a good read. A "studio" is just a fancier TOOLROOM, if truth be told.
@Kevin - I have, when I worked in a machine shop. Although there were hammers in the TOOL ROOM, the primary function was not simply storing hammers, though.
@Kevin I work in a theater scene shop; and there is a separate, lockable, room where all the handtools are kept. So tool room didn't strike me as odd. But I can see how people who don't work around one would find it a bump.
@Kevin There should be a crossword term for a totally forced entry that is almost gibberish.
The sound effect at 44D made my day.
@Murhatroid Absolutely! If one is old enough to remember those days, it was a pleasure to read the [transliteration?] of that dreadful noise!
I was excited to know "MAPOTOFU" immediately because I LOVE mapo tofu. It's such a comfort dish! If you haven't tried it, I'd encourage you to give it a whirl!
@Lara yes, MAPO TOFU was a (delicious) gimme for me too! And pretty much any kind of ice cream is OK in my book (but I am partial to PB & chocolate, so 🫎 👣 is 👍🏻). Congrats to Mr. Lin-David on a delightful debut!
This puzzle was an absolute delight!!!! I laughed out loud a couple of times! MEATTORNADO 4EVER PAWNEE HEADS RISE UP
I just had to comment on this one--I loved it, and like others have said already, the sound effect clue for 44D was so much fun! Really brought back memories of the old days of the internet and dialing up with a 1200 baud modem! 😄 Does anyone else remember the really old acoustic coupling ones that required you to put your telephone handset onto the modem? I think the first time I saw one was in the movie War Games. 🤔
@Dave Of course. I saw/used several, including one attached to a teletype machine for accessing CompuServe from home. /show of hands for those who distinguish bps from baud rate ____________________ Jesse Goldberg 8/28/2024 for Puzzle of the Decade (emu filler)
@Dave Back when I was living in in Greenwich Village, which places it between September 1977 and June 1979, I had a friend who had a friend who lived near City College (i.e. the other end of Manhattan) who was a bit of a techie. I don’t remember anything else about him other than his putting the receiver down on this contraption, and being told what he was doing. Prodigy came over a decade later.