Well, I have yett again ot be taught something different at DC. In my neck of the woods, it is mostly Native Americans who make and eat corn chowder; and it's a favorite at powows and get-togethers. But we don't use sweet corn in our chowder. We use hominy. It is a delicious version and as with most recipe of this kind, everyone makes theirs a bit differently.
i would expect that the double cooking of the corn was originally used to soften the corn kernal, making it edible. Hominy is usually soaked in lye to soften the corn kernal, then washed and boiled, or steamed. Te flavor is more reminiscent of the fresh tortilla flavor, rather than sweet corn.
That's my guess.
sweet corn is to be steamed in the husk, have the husk removed, slathered in butter, dusted with salt, and eaten from the com. If I'm going use seet corn for other perposes, i get the best canned corn I can find, with as few additives as possible. I look for brands that list corn, water, and salt in their ingredient list. The kernals are sweet and crisp, and hte can juices are used to add flavor to the recipe.
hope this is useful information.
Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North