‘The chowder shall not die’

New England clam chowder

“Alas, what crimes have been committed in the name of chowder! Dainty chintz-draped tea rooms, charity bazaars, church suppers, summer hotels, canning factories — all have shamelessly travestied one of America’s noblest institutions; yet while clams and onions last, the chowder shall not die.’’

— Louis P. De Gouy (1876-1947), in The Gold Cook Book

Modernist chowder

Today we take New England clam chowder as something traditional that makes our roots as American cooking very solid, with a lot of foundation. But the first person who decided to mix potatoes and clams and bacon and cream, in his own way 100 to 200 years ago, was a modernist.

-- Jose Andres (Spanish-American chef)