As a person with a legitimate shellfish allergy, I suspect the person wanting chowder without the clams was just weird. I'd break out in hives eating the chowder without the clams - BECAUSE IT HAD CLAMS COOKED IN IT. I even have problems eating french-fries at popular seafood places because the fry oil has too much shellfish whatever in it.

Because you certainly need me to confirm your own conviction that these people were loony. Haha.

I was once asked for "ice water...without any ice." But the person making the request was my 3-year-old daughter. these people are just plain loony.

One comment about the cobb salad. Marketing gurus (or at least some of them) tell us that marketing is all about the stories we are told/tell ourselves about what we buy. To me ears, a Cobb salad -- even with most of the good stuff left off -- just *sounds* better than lettuce with egg. So, I have a little sympathy for him. And since he was willing to pay for the non-difference....

Don't you just wonder on days like this if Peter Funt and Suzanne Somers are going to pop out from behind a plant? Sadly, that rarely happens and we are stuck with just plain old freaks.
Clam chowder without the clams. What a knob.

Bob, I have to ask why you prefer to be manipulated by meer words, instead of ingredients.

If something has onions in, I order something else.

Nana's comment reminds me of my teen years when we'd have birthday parties at Tequilla Willies and order silly drinks like "Virgin Rum & Coke" 'cause the waiters were really funny and cute. But clamless clam chouder? I don't get that one.

In response to Bob's comment, it was still a good thing that the server made the comment because there's an equal shot that when the diners got the bill the Cobb salad guy would have said "how dare you charge this much for a salad with egg?"

The Server was trying to save him money. She felt badly after suggesting it, seeing his anger. But our deal is about customer service, and we try and cut people a break whenever we can.

I seem to have come across as criticizing the server, which was not the intent at all. She was nice to make the offer, and it sounds like he was a jerk about it. I just meant that I can understand the preference.

I don't prefer to be manipulated by mere words. But I know I am, at times, and I think most other people are, too.

...bwhaaaa..????

My favorite customer was the guy who ordered eggs benedict and wanted the eggs with no yolk because he was watching his cholesterol. Guess he didn't know that Hollandaise sauce is basically butter and egg yolks.

The only thing that makes sense is the fact that these individuals do read cookbooks or cook. They have no knowledge of how dishes go together to make it Cobb salad or clam chowder or eggs benedict. My great aunt used to be the cook for a wealthy in Minnesota. She once told me that the baked potatoes were returned to the kitchen because they did not have fork imprints on the potato. They wanted appropriately baked potatoes. She punched the fork several times in the returned potatos, kept them warm for 10 min in the oven and resent them back to the dining room. The family was happy with "new" freshly baked potatoes.

When I was overseeing a wedding I coordinated one of the guests took every opportunity to bust my chops about his delicate digestion...can't have croutons, no cheese, broil the fish instead of fry, etc., the list of requests for his specialized meal (which he never notified anyone of in advance)was endless and ridiculous. Plus, he wasn't even nice about it - he was very demanding.

When I was leaving after the dinner service I saw the jerk outside SMOKING!!! To this day I regret not busting his chops right back...

there just isn't an end to customer weirdness, is there? thanks for the laughs...we all need them.

Re: Cobb Salad -- reminds me of that Curb Your Enthusiasm episode in which Larry tries to do more or less the same thing (i.e. asking for a ridiculous number of substitutions in a cobb salad...)

oh my god...your stories are priceless...keep them coming. I can't wait til I'm out of culinary school so I can have stories of my own someday. :-)

love food

I would SWEAR that you make this stuff up, but sadly, I've met these idiots too. They get around. *sigh*

Just put a new salad on the menu and name it after him - "Nobb Salad."