The Man Who Hated Clam Chowder So Much He Tried To Make It Illegal

In the years after his election in 1933, Maine legislator Cleveland Sleeper was so affronted by Manhattan clam chowder that he sought to ban it from being served in the state.

He put forward multiple bills on the issue. A 1939 bill seemed to draw the most attention, which would broadly ban any use of tomatoes in chowder.

The proposed punishment for offenders was digging up a barrel of clams at high tide — effectively an unachievable task. Despite drawing attention, Sleeper's law did not pass.

The dispute was resolved with a cook-off between two chefs, one preparing New England chowder and the other Manhattan-style. Of course, the New England version won.