# Clam Chowder **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 27, 2013, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clam-chowder/667311 "2013-08-27T16:11:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clam-chowder/667311/61 "2013-08-28T16:26:31Z")
I love these threads. “Clams, their juices, potatoes, onions, celery, salt pork, tomatoes and herbs all simmered together is teh best dish evar! Clams, their juices, potatoes, onions, celery, salt pork and herbs all simmered together IS THE DEVIL’S URINE!!!” ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clam-chowder/667311/62 "2013-08-28T16:30:56Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > Physically, yah… but I’m talking culturally. And IIRC, the greater population is in the NY metro half. CT was always seen as half NY and half NE when I liked in New Jersey. I’m talking culturally, too. There are population-dense areas that have metro NY influences, but you drive around most of CT (or live there as my family has for decades) by all appearances and cultural influences it is a New England state. I was raised in Western NY, but lived in CT for every summer from when I was 8-18. I lived there with my family as an adult for over a decade and just moved to the NY metro area. CT is New England, culturally, geographically and historically. Small pockets may have a more NY feel to it, but that doesn’t make the state culturally NY. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clam-chowder/667311/63 "2013-08-28T16:32:00Z")
You go, girl! ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clam-chowder/667311/64 "2013-08-28T16:35:38Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > 😕 Are we being whooshed? Because if by CT you mean the state of Connecticut, that most certainly is in New England. All six states east of New York make up New England. Connecticut is part of NYC-most of the rich people work there. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clam-chowder/667311/65 "2013-08-28T17:01:50Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > I’m talking culturally, too. > > There are population-dense areas that have metro NY influences, but you drive around most of CT (or live there as my family has for decades) by all appearances and cultural influences it is a New England state. > > I was raised in Western NY, but lived in CT for every summer from when I was 8-18. I lived there with my family as an adult for over a decade and just moved to the NY metro area. > > CT is New England, culturally, geographically and historically. Small pockets may have a more NY feel to it, but that doesn’t make the state culturally NY. Regardless, Mystic is _definitely_ New England. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clam-chowder/667311/66 "2013-08-28T17:09:56Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Regardless, Mystic is _definitely_ New England. No kidding. Mystic Seaport, for example, is about as quintessential a New England experience as you can get. Regardless of the subjective culture of a part of CT, by all standards, CT is a New England state. You say parts of feel “NYish”, but that doesn’t make it so. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clam-chowder/667311/67 "2013-08-28T17:11:44Z")
Are you guys actually hijacking my chowder poll with _geography lessons_? ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clam-chowder/667311/68 "2013-08-28T17:12:52Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Are you guys actually hijacking my chowder poll with _geography lessons_? Why yes, yes we are. 🙂 Don’t even get me started on Connecticut Lobster Rolls vs regular lobster rolls. No comparison. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clam-chowder/667311/69 "2013-08-28T17:12:54Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Thems fighting words, missy… Hey! I see your location. It’s right across the street from you. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clam-chowder/667311/70 "2013-08-28T17:14:08Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Hey! I see your location. It’s right across the street from you. And a world apart… Joking aside, it’s why we picked North Shore LI (and our town in particular)… it’s feels like New England! ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clam-chowder/667311/71 "2013-08-28T17:16:23Z")
O.K., O.K. It’s New England and not part of the Tri-State area. Now I’m wondering which is the third state. And here I thought the most controversial thing I said was that Campbell’s soup was good. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clam-chowder/667311/72 "2013-08-28T17:25:33Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > O.K., O.K. It’s New England and not part of the Tri-State area. Now I’m wondering which is the third state. > > And here I thought the most controversial thing I said was that Campbell’s soup was good. CT is still in the tri-state area. It’s just not a mid-atlantic state. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clam-chowder/667311/73 "2013-08-28T18:13:38Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > CT is still in the tri-state area. It’s just not a mid-atlantic state. Arrrgh, you mean you have overlapping regions there? No wonder you people get so confused. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clam-chowder/667311/74 "2013-08-28T19:33:58Z")
It’s so cute how New Yorkers think “the tri-state area” is a specific, unambiguous place. Most people who use the term mean something different from what New Yorkers do. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clam-chowder/667311/75 "2013-08-28T21:39:41Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Are you guys actually hijacking my chowder poll with _geography lessons_? If it makes you feel better, “Manhattan clam chowder” is actually watery tomato soup with a few clam bits thrown in. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clam-chowder/667311/76 "2013-08-28T22:08:59Z")
Rhode Island. It is the essence of the sea. Gotta make it yourself tho. Here’s a recipe. 18-20 quahogs 1/2 pound salt pork 3 big yellow onions 3-5 lbs potatoes (depends on how many you like) salt and pepper Shuck the quahogs. There are no substitutes. Save the juice. Put juice in soup pot. Simmer and skim all the scum off. Render the salt pork in a big cast iron skillet. Saute the onions in the fat until clear. Chop quahogs and cook briefly. Put into pot with clam juice. Add potatoes and cover with 2 inches of water. Simmer until potatoes are done. Season with salt and pepper. Won’t need too much salt. Now here’s the hard part. Let it cool, put it in the fridge and don’t touch it until the next day. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clam-chowder/667311/77 "2013-08-28T22:15:54Z")
I answered “none” not because I don’t like clam chowder but because I don’t have enough experience with it to have a preference. “No preference” would have been a good option to include on the poll. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clam-chowder/667311/78 "2013-08-28T23:23:05Z")
> [@For You](#): > > Arrrgh, you mean you have overlapping regions there? No wonder you people get so confused. No, in New England “tri-state area” means MA/CT/RI, all of which are New England states. I think it’s a real testament to my hatred of seafood that I’ve lived in New England since birth and have never had the inclination to try any sort of clam chowder. Smells bad, not thanks. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clam-chowder/667311/79 "2013-08-28T23:51:08Z")
> [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](#): > > Rhode Island. It is the essence of the sea. > > Gotta make it yourself tho. Here’s a recipe. > > 18-20 quahogs > 1/2 pound salt pork > 3 big yellow onions > 3-5 lbs potatoes (depends on how many you like) > salt and pepper > > Shuck the quahogs. There are no substitutes. Save the juice. Put juice in soup pot. Simmer and skim all the scum off. Render the salt pork in a big cast iron skillet. Saute the onions in the fat until clear. Chop quahogs and cook briefly. Put into pot with clam juice. Add potatoes and cover with 2 inches of water. Simmer until potatoes are done. Season with salt and pepper. Won’t need too much salt. > > Now here’s the hard part. Let it cool, put it in the fridge and don’t touch it until the next day. Good luck! Preach it, **Soul Brother**. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clam-chowder/667311/80 "2013-08-29T02:11:54Z")
I strongly prefer NE clam chowder, though I prefer a thinner milk-based chowder to cream-based that I can thicken by crushing oyster crackers into it. Then lots of pepper on top. Tomatoes with fish sometimes grosses me out, for no logical reason. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clam-chowder/667311.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clam-chowder/667311.md?page=5)