For once I won't be talking about how I discovered this blog post topic in my local supermarket, or regular liquor store, or even one of these further away, or in another state. I didn't find this one at all--it was a holiday gift from some relatives. Specifically, it was albacore tuna in spicy olive oil, from the Fishwife company.
The story of the Fishwife company started off a little run-of-the-mill, but got juicier later. I'll start with the more mundane facts. Fishwife was founded by two women in 2020--Becca Millstein and Caroline Goldfarb. Their goal was to make, "ethically sourced, premium, and delicious tinned seafood." The product list on their official website was a little incomplete, and oddly organized. But, as near as I could eventually piece together, they make various kinds of tinned, or canned, fish: salmon, trout, mackerel, sardines, tuna, and anchovies. Some are plain-ish, while many others have spicy seasonings. Only one of their products is currently kosher, but they're working on expanding this. Similarly, only one of their wares contains gluten. I also saw a "Proposition 65" page, which turns out to be part of California law. Products that may contain carcinogenic chemicals have to publicly warn potential customers. In this case, some of their fish may contain lead or cadmium. Staying on potential hazards, while the Fishwife products don't seem to have these things, the facilities where they're processed also handle common allergens like shellfish, soy, sesame, and wheat. Finally, if you're wondering how to make a tasty dish or meal out of Fishwife tinned fish, you're in luck--the website sells a book with 80 recipes.
Now here's the dirt. If you looked up Fishwife online during the past couple of years, you'll probably only see references to Becca Millstein. There's a reason for this--the two ladies had an ugly split. Several articles called this a "divorce," but it appears that this was wordplay about the company's name, and not a literal end of a marriage. I'll use qualifying words for the rest of this paragraph, for obvious legal reasons. Anyway, in early 2024 Becca sued Caroline Goldfarb, alleging breach of contract, civil theft, and cybersquatting. Supposedly, by 2021 Goldfarb was only devoting a few hours a week to Fishwife, while Becca was toiling up to 90 hours plus a week. Becca also accused Caroline of unfairly controlling the company's Google ad account and domain account. The final straw was when Goldfarb was reportedly offered a final 8.75% share of the company, and supposedly agreed, while later demanding 35%. And metaphorically holding the Fishwife company hostage while this dispute dragged out. The lawsuit was eventually settled, although the terms were not reported. Moving on, Caroline Goldfarb has had an extensive career, but more in the entertainment and online presence worlds rather than fishmongering. She has written for and/or executive produced several television programs, including "Tiny Nuts" (2014), "The Late Late Show with James Corden" (2018-19), "Chad" (2021-24), and "The Sex Lives of College Girls" (2021-present). She also co-hosted a podcast called "Glowing Up" with comedian Esther Povitsky, which was about makeup and beauty, which may still air. All in all, that's a lot more drama than I usually read about the company that made the foods or drinks that I tried.
Fishwife tinned seafood, albacore tuna in spicy olive oil: The tuna was caught and then made in Spain. There was a slight spicy odor. The color of the oil, and therefore the fish chunks in it, was orange. The taste was a bit disappointing--I thought it would be spicier than it was. At least the oil ensured that the fish wasn't dry. Still, tuna is pretty much always good. I had some plain, and some on a cracker. The latter way was better. Overall, then, this canned tuna was alright, but not spectacular. While looking up Fishwife online later, I saw that its prices are extremely high--well over $8 a can, sometimes even $10 or more. (My can was 3.2 ounces/92 grams.) Considering that you can get other canned seafood for half of the price, or probably even a third of it, I can understand folks not buying it for financial reasons. Given that the fish itself was just okay, or solid, I doubt I'll buy any more.
Fishwife also included a brief history of the term "fishwife" itself. According to them, the term dates back to the 16th century, and at first literally referred to the spouses (or daughters) of fishermen. Gradually, though, it became a gendered insult for women that were "brash, foul-mouthed, and brassy." About this the website noted, "we relate." In my experience, I've heard the word used more to denigrate women, or sometimes men, who eagerly engage in gossiping. Which is kind of close to the three negative qualities that Fishwife mentioned. This all makes me wonder how this negative stereotype got started. Some brief online checking indicated that some of these qualities were probably true, as fishwives had to be outspoken and attention-grabbing to sell their very perishable fish at the outdoor markets. Additionally, though, maybe another contributing factor was because the wives of fishermen were left alone more than other wives, and thus had more control and agency of their own lives. Which was seen as bad to conservative misogynist men, I guess. Anyway, it does make for an effective company name--it has a direct, main meaning, as well as an ironic, somewhat subversive double meaning.
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