Day 21: New England Clam Chowder

This is a dreaded day for Alex- not only does he dislike soup, he really dislikes seafood. So a steaming bowl of creamy soup littered with clams is pretty much the worst thing ever for him. On the other hand, it’s a banner day for me, because I get to have chowder on a day that’s not a Friday and also a day when I am not at the beach. Bonus!

Out of all the chowders, New England is the creamiest, thickest type, and apparently tomatoes must not be included (Maine even included a bill to the effect in its 1939 legislature). I’m glad of that, because I’ve had Manhattan clam chowder (which features a watery, tomato-based broth) and it is gross. We got our chowder from McGrath’s, purely out of convenience. The boys at the front were quite confused that I wanted to get just one bowl of chowder to go and tried to upsell me some more dinner. Not having it, boys. Just chowder.

We had to secretively eat it at the bowling alley, as there is no outside food allowed. Alex tried a bite.

And then he tried another, saying, "It's not so bad..."

Then he got a clam and it was all mine. Mine! Alex and I have a good thing going: I get all the chowder and alcohol and he gets all the sweets. I can live with that.
The McGrath's chowder was not perfect. It could have been a little bit creamier and a little bit thicker. But the potatoes were a pleasant texture and the clams were not sandy (nothing worse than a sandy, clam, amiright?). I do wish that every bowl of chowder ever was served with a dollop of butter and a sprinkle of paprika, like Mo's.That's where I first came to know and love chowder and nothing ever will quite compare.