Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, College Food

There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! College Food

Constructor: Aidan Deshong

Editor: Anna Gundlach

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• TORO (16A: Filmmaker Guillermo del ___) Guillermo del TORO is a Mexican filmmaker who makes Spanish-language and English-language movies. His directing credits include Pan's Labyrinth (2006), The Shape of Water (2017), and Pinocchio (2022).
• RICE PUDDING (60A: The Iranian dish shir berenj, for example) Shir berenj, also known as Persian RICE PUDDING, is flavored with rose water, cinnamon, and cardamom, and often contains almonds. In Farsi, "shir" means "milk," and "berenj" means "rice." Shir berenj can be served warm or chilled.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• EMUS (10A: Second-tallest birds, after ostriches) EMUS can grown up to just over six feet tall, while the average height of ostriches is six to nine feet. EMUs are also second to ostriches in running speed. An EMU can run at speeds of just over 30 miles per hour, while an ostrich can obtain speeds of 40 miles per hour.
• CUBS (19A: Team that went 107 years between World Series titles) Although I am a Midwesterner, I'm not a CUBS fan, but I have a lot of friends who are. I apologize to all of my CUBS fan friends, but this clue made me laugh. The Chicago CUBS have been a Major League Baseball (MLB) team since 1876. The team won back-to-back World Series Championships in 1907 and 1908. But then ... the CUBS didn't win the World Series again until 2016. The CUBS are not in contention to win the World Series this year, but they are doing better than Chicago's other MLB team, the Chicago White Sox, who have set several records for losing this season (not the kind of records a team tries to set...).
• IOTA (20A: Greek letter I) IOTA is the ninth letter of the Greek alphabet. It is preceded by alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon, zeta, eta, and theta.
• TAO (23A: Concept in East Asian philosophy) TAOists follow a philosophical and spiritual tradition that emphasizes living in harmony with the natural order of the universe, a principal referred to as "TAO" or "the way."
• VICTOR (24A: Dr. Frankenstein's first name) Dr. VICTOR Frankenstein is the title character of Mary Shelley's 1818 book, Frankenstein. We so often hear Dr. VICTOR Frankenstein referred to only with his last name, that I'm not sure I would have been able to recall it if I hadn't written it a couple of weeks ago. On September 17, we saw the movie Young Frankenstein referenced in a clue for INGA, and I wrote that the scientist in that movie, Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, was "the grandson of VICTOR Frankenstein." Mary Shelley's novel has been adapted many times over the years. In a tie-in with another answer in this puzzle, Netflix is currently making a new Frankenstein movie, which is written and directed by Guillermo del TORO.
• KARAT (30A: Gold purity unit) The KARAT is a unit of purity for gold alloys. Pure gold is 24-KARAT. (100% purity of gold is difficult to obtain, but 24-KARAT gold must be 99.95% pure.) Since gold alloys are measured using a 24-part system, 18-KARAT gold is 18 parts gold and 6 parts another metal.
• MAGE (37A: RPG spell caster) RPG here stands for role-playing game. A MAGE is a character class used in many RPGs, including Dungeons & Dragons.
• ODE (44A: "___ to the Selfie" (Megan Falley poem)) Megan Falley's Instagram bio describes her as "recovering slam poet. author of five. unkillable darling. award-winning prose writer. creator of @poemsthatdontsuck." You can watch Megan Falley and fellow poet Olivia Gatwood perform "ODE to the Selfie," here, and I highly recommend it. It begins, "Today you thought, I look beautiful."
• SCOT (46A: Glaswegian, for example) A Glaswegian is a person from Glasgow, the most populous city in Scotland.
• INA (56A: "Barefoot Contessa" host Garten) In 1978, INA Garten left a job as a budget analyst in the White House's Office of Management and Budget and bought a specialty food store in Westhampton Beach, New York. The store had been named Barefoot Contessa by its original owner as a tribute to the 1954 film starring Ava Gardner, and INA Garten kept the name. INA Garten hosted a cooking show called Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network from 2002 to 2021. INA Garten has written a memoir that was released yesterday titled Be Ready When the Luck Happens.
• KEN (59A: "Barbie" character whose job is "beach") In the 2023 movie Barbie, the Barbies have many different professions, including writer, doctor, journalist, and president. KEN's job ... it's just beach.
• RACED (31D: Played a Gran Turismo game, e.g.) The Gran Turismo series of video games are driving simulator games in which players can race a number of different vehicles.
• AGAVE (32D: Tequila plant) AGAVE are spiky-leaved succulents that grow in the hot and arid regions of the Americas and the Caribbean. The sap of the AGAVE plant is fermented to make an alcoholic beverage called pulque, which is distilled to produce the spirit, mezcal. Tequila is mezcal made from a variety of the plant known as blue AGAVE. (All tequila is mezcal, but not all mezcal is tequila.)
• PEDAL (36D: Participate in Peloton class) Peloton Interactive, Inc. is a company that makes stationary bikes and other exercise equipment. The company's name is a term used in road cycling races to refer to the main group of riders.
• TAKIS (51D: Spicy rolled corn chip brand) TAKIS is a Mexican brand of chips with a rolled shape. TAKIS are sold in a variety of flavors.
• ANDES (54D: Aconcagua's mountain range) The ANDES mountain range runs along the western edge of South America, and is the longest continental mountain range in the world. Seven countries contain part of the ANDES: Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela. Aconcagua, with an elevation of 22,837 feet, is the highest peak in the ANDES, and in the Americas. Aconcagua is located in Argentina, about nine miles from the Argentina-Chile border.
• GEM (64D: Tanzanite or fire opal) Tanzanite is a blue and purple GEM that has only been found in a particular region of Tanzania. Fire opal is a variety of opal that has a bright yellow, orange, or red color.

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• BROWN SUGAR (17A: Molasses-colored sweetener)
• AMERICAN CHEESE (39A: Slice on a Big Mac)
• RICE PUDDING (60A: The Iranian dish shir berenj, for example)

COLLEGE FOOD: Each theme answer is a FOOD, whose first word is the name of a COLLEGE: BROWN University (Providence, Rhode Island), AMERICAN University (Washington, D.C.), and RICE University (Houston, Texas).

From my experience in attending COLLEGE and hearing about my children's COLLEGE experiences, I think COLLEGE FOOD has improved a lot over the last forty years. Still, I'm thankful that I didn't have to eat COLLEGE FOOD to enjoy this puzzle. It's an enjoyable theme. Thank you, Aidan, for this fun puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

• USA TODAY’s Daily Crossword Puzzles
• Sudoku & Crossword Puzzle Answers