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What Kind of New England Clam Chowder Is This?

Photo: a bowl of New England clam chowder. Credit: Jon Sullivan; Wikimedia Commons.

Last week we went out for lunch at a new restaurant that opened here in New England. I spotted the “New England Clam Chowder” on the menu and of course I wanted to give it a try.

The meal looked great.

Source: Thomas Jay Kemp

And of course, they also brought the clam chowder.

Source: Thomas Jay Kemp

I asked, “Is this the New England Clam Chowder?”
“Yes,” I was assured.
“But, it’s brown and it doesn’t taste like clam chowder.”

Clam chowder is supposed to look and taste like this:

Source: Wikipedia

Just looking at it you can taste it.

I know that other types of chowders exist: Manhattan style, corn chowder, fish chowder, spicy chowders, etc. – but this menu specifically said it was “New England Clam Chowder.”

#EpicFail.

As the Dallas Morning News reported in this 1964 newspaper article, New Englanders “are almost offended if they are served anything but the creamy New England Clam Chowder.”

Source: GenealogyBank.com, Dallas Morning News (Dallas, Texas), 9 January 1964, Section 5, page 11

Which clam chowder do you prefer?
New England?
Manhattan style?
Other?

Tell us about your favorite in the comments section below.

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