Oddly enough, the three types of clam chowder---New England, Rhode Island and Manhattan--are all good if they're made well. Bad Manhattan clam chowder tastes like vegetable soup with a tinge of clam; Bad New England clam chowder tastes like wallpaper paste with some clams added. I never really encountered bad Rhode Island clam chowder--no milk, no tomatoes--but I guess that it exists.