During xmas my alter ego emerges like a yule tide butterfly, The Nog Dog. I love egg nog, I just barely have it due to its insane calories. Also, have an upvote, "clamnog" was worth the price of admission!
As a New Englander, I'm horrified too. The clam is easy, people slam back raw oysters by the dozen, but the potato chunks? My dad was at a restaurant sometime before the holidays where he stuck a spoon in his chowder and it stood up perfectly straight.
Could be worse though, Manhattan clam chowder has a tomato broth.
Is it good or bad if the spoon stands straight up? I have no frame of reference. Tomato sounds like it would be better than cream, but I'm not big into clams to begin with.
Your passion for clam chowder really makes me wish I liked clams. I think a Chicago analog would be how and where you get your Italian beef sandwiches. Never trust a Chicagoan who eats dry ass beef sandwiches. They probably have 20 year's worth of toenail clippings in a jar next to their collection of belly button lint.