Pamela F. Davis author page
1 puzzle by Pamela F. Davis
with Constructor comments
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"Reviews of Mom's Cooking," my first submission as a new pandemic-inspired constructor, grew from the seed phrase STEAK ACCLAIM, a mis-hearing when someone advised me to stake a claim — I believe to that bottle of cab I was eyeing at our school fundraiser (I'm a high school teacher; wine is important to us). Version 1 also included LEEK DETECTION ("Mom! You promised there wouldn't be onions in this soup. Why do I taste onions?"). The Times editorial team, though amused, noted that ‘steak acclaim' rendered the trick differently, which is true, and "leak detection" as a phrase wasn't strongly enough in the language, which is not true if you lived in my house where I had — no lie — 3 major leaks in 3 years.
Turning to the awesome Facebook Crossword Puzzle Collaboration group for advice, I was lucky to find Mentor Extraordinaire Rich Proulx, who helped me brainstorm new themers. Rich suggested SOLE SEARCHING, which led me to MUSSEL MEMORY. He cheerled and tsk-tsk'd me through myriad fill attempts, frowning upon anything that sniffed of glue. Version 2 had both fish entries (entrees), which the team had initially signed off on, but then they decided what they really wanted was a complete meal. Could I try again with a dessert? They even suggested one, TORTE CLAIM — so kind! I countered with MOUSSE CALL, got the thumbs up, and finally, taking pity on me no doubt, they gave this version the nod. Many thanks to Rich and the NYT team!