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There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Twist of Fate

Constructor: Ricky Sirois

Editor: Jared Goudsmit

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• PEA (23A: Aguadito veggie) Aguadito is a traditional Peruvian soup. It is a chicken soup made with cilantro and vegetables (PEAs, potatoes, corn, and red pepper).
• LYE (25A: Corrosive substance in pichi-pichi) Pichi-pichi (also spelled pitsi-pitsi) is a Filipino dessert. To make it, cassava (a starchy root tuber) is grated and mixed with water, sugar, and LYE. The mixture is put into molds and steamed, and then rolled in coconut, or topped with grated cheese and coconut caramel.
• ILE (26A: ___ de la Cite (Notre-Dame's place) ÎLE de la Cité is an island in the river Seine, located in the center of Paris, France. Notre-Dame cathedral is located on ÎLE de la Cité. The island is also home to the Sainte-Chapelle chapel, and Hôtel-Dieu, which is possibly the oldest continuously operating hospital in the world.
• OHIO (4D: Vanessa Bayer's home state) Comedian Vanessa Bayer was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2010 to 2017. In 2022, she starred in the TV show, I Love That For You, which was inspired by her personal experience with childhood leukemia. Vanessa Bayer was born in Orange, OHIO, a suburb of Cleveland.
• TRAN (62D: Actress Levy) Levy TRAN has appeared in a number of TV series and movies, including MacGyver (2019-2021), Shameless (2017-2018), and Expend4bles (2023).

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• DOLMA (5A: Stuffed vegetable dish) The word DOLMA is of Turkish origin from a word meaning "to fill." DOLMA is a traditional part of Middle Eastern cuisine. Vegetables that are stuffed to make DOLMA include tomatoes, peppers, and zucchini. 
• POOH (13A: Bear who's afraid of Heffalumps) Heffalumps are a fictional species that appear in POOH and Piglet's dreams in the Winnie the POOH stories by A. A. Milne. Heffalumps resemble elephants. Heffalumps feature in some of the Disney animated shows based on the Winnie the Pooh stories, particularly POOH's Heffalump Movie (2005).
• PANDA (27A: Bear that's a symbol of diplomacy) The giant PANDA is endemic to China. There are only a few regions in China where PANDAs live in the wild. The practice of China sending PANDAs to zoos in other countries has been termed "PANDA diplomacy." From 1941 to 1984, China gifted PANDAs to other countries as an act of diplomacy. Since 1984, China no longer gifts PANDAs, but instead leases the animals to other countries, with provisions that any cubs born will be the property of China.
• WATER (31A: It makes up about 96% of iceberg lettuce's weight) Foods that are high in WATER content can help keep one hydrated. In addition to iceberg lettuce, some other foods high in WATER content are watermelon, cucumbers, tomatoes, celery, and zucchini. Staying hydrated is important; after all, the human body is 45-75% WATER.
• INTERNET FAMOUS (60A: Like someone featured in many memes) Since 1991, when the INTERNET and the World Wide Web became widely available, there have been a number of INTERNET FAMOUS personalities. Some of these INTERNET FAMOUS folks are influencers, who set out to become well-known by establishing their brand online. Other people become INTERNET FAMOUS seemingly overnight, when a video or photo they are in goes viral. Social media is such an interesting thing, isn't it?
• PLOP (66A: Alka-Seltzer-into-water sound) Anyone else fill in this answer and immediately hear, "PLOP, PLOP, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is..." in their head?
• EPA (1D: Org. with an Office of Water) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established in 1970 as the result of an executive order by President Richard Nixon. The EPA's overall mission is to protect human health and the environment. The Office of Water – one of several offices in the EPA's organizational structure – oversees the safety of drinking water and aquatic ecosystems.
• DAFOE (5D: "Poor Things" actor Willem) Poor Things is a 2023 movie based on Alasdair Gray's 1992 book, Poor Things: Episodes from the Early Life of Archibald McCandless M.D., Scottish Public Health Officer. The movie is a Frankenstein-style story of a young woman brought back to life by a brain transplant. It is set in Victorian London, and Willem DAFOE plays the role of mad scientist Godwin Baxter. Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, and Ramy Youssef also star in the movie.
• LIRA (7D: Turkish coin) Perhaps you remembered this fact from the August 17 puzzle.
• PERU (10D: Chiclayo's country) Chiclayo is the fourth-largest city in PERU (after Lima, Arequipa, and Trujillo). Chiclayo is located in northern PERU, about 8 miles from the Pacific Ocean. Chiclayo has been nicknamed the "City of Friendship."
• ERUDITE (11D: Scholarly) I like the word ERUDITE, and enjoyed seeing it in today's puzzle. At some point in my life, I learned "book-smart" as a synonym for ERUDITE, and that has stuck with me.
• PPE (23D: Face shield or respirator, for example) PPE here stands for personal protective equipment.
• BTS (36D: "Magic Shop" band) "Magic Shop" is a song from the 2018 BTS album, Love Yourself: Tear. That album reached number one on Billboard's 200 albums chart, making BTS the first K-pop group to hit that mark.
• TUSKEGEE (39D: ___ Airmen (group of Black WWII pilots)) The TUSKEGEE Airmen were the first Black pilots in the U.S. Army Air Corps (a precursor of the U.S. Air Force). The name also applies to those that worked on the ground crew and operations support. The TUSKOGEE Airmen National Historic Site, commemorating the contributions of the pilots in World War II, is located in TUSKOGEE, Alabama at Moton Field, the site of primary flight training for the TUSKOGEE Airmen.
• MARIAH (41D: "The Emancipation of Mimi" artist Carey) MARIAH Carey's tenth studio album, released in 2005, is titled The Emancipation of Mimi. When the album was released, MARIAH Carey said that Mimi was a nickname her close personal friends used, and the title was a signal she was revealing more of herself to fans.
• PSY (67D: "Gangnam Style" rapper) Speaking of INTERNET FAMOUS, the 2012 music video for "Gangnam Style" by PSY went viral and became the first YouTube video to exceed one billion views.

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• CHOCOLATE FUDGE (20A: Confection often sold in slabs)
• SPOT OF TEA (38A: Brit's refreshment)
• INTERNET FAMOUS (60A: Like someone featured in many memes)

TWIST OF FATE: Each theme answer contains an anagram of the word FATE: CHOCOLATE FUDGE, SPOT OF TEA, and INTERNET FAMOUS.

This is a hidden anagram theme. The word FATE is anagrammed, or TWISTed to ATEF, FTEA, and ETFA, and those letter sequences are found in the theme answers. I'm fine with not being INTERNET FAMOUS, but I wouldn't say no to some CHOCOLATE FUDGE with a SPOT OF TEA. Congratulations to Ricky Sirois making a USA Today crossword debut! Thank you, Ricky, for this enjoyable puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

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