Aarhus fishmonger Jakob Clausen says he does not want his children to take over the family fish shop unless Danish food culture changes radically.
Clausen, 32, is the fifth generation behind P. Clausen Fiskehandel on the harbor in Aarhus. He made the comments as a guest on the podcast “Du kender typen”, DR reported on September 15.
The shop has been located on the Aarhus harbor since 1888. Clausen took over in 2017, at the age of 22, and bought his father out of the family business four to five years ago, according to DR.
Per DR, Clausen said that in his ten years running the business he has fought hard to create a development that can keep it alive another decade. He added that something markedly different must happen in society before his children are allowed to go through what he has. As reported by DR, he said his father today deeply regrets letting him take over.
Clausen argues that food is not a shelf commodity. He told the podcast that his shop works with what arrives from the sea each day and with what Danish fishermen can deliver. He does not believe a fishmonger should offer farmed cod 365 days a year at the same thickness and price.
Hopes for a shop like his father’s
Clausen said he hopes his business can come to resemble the one his father ran in the 1970s and 1980s. Back then, he believes, customers had a greater understanding that fish is not a uniform product available all year.
Despite working with fish daily, Clausen has never caught one. He estimates he has fished around ten times and says he lacks the patience to wait for a bite. He also believes coastal fishing in Denmark has become harder, and says radical changes are needed for the marine environment to improve.
According to DR, Clausen tries to involve his 44,000 Instagram followers in that change. He believes food quality improves when consumers support local producers instead of importing goods from around the world, and he described Denmark as small enough that almost everything is local.
His own spending goes to small specialty shops, including the local butcher, DR reported. Clausen said the difference in meat can be both seen and tasted when buying from a butcher rather than elsewhere.
At home in Hjortshøj, the family of five eats fish twice a week and buys organic where possible, with a focus on animal welfare. Clausen said that awareness grew stronger after he became a father. He distinguishes between food eaten to live and food eaten for pleasure, and does not rule out McDonald’s with his children, though not as dinner.
Clausen has also had numerous fish and seafood motifs tattooed on his body, including a scallop, a turbot, an oyster and a herring. He estimates he has spent 30,000 to 40,000 kroner on tattoos in total, according to DR.
