Fish Knife

The 20-centimeter-long fish knife from the cafeteria of Karlsruhe Nuclear Research Center bears the inscription “Kernreaktor Karlsruhe” on its handle. This stainless steel piece of cutlery dates from around 1960, when the Center was still officially known as Kernreaktor Bau- und Betriebsgesellschaft mbH. This lengthy name was often simplified in everyday use to terms like “Reactor Station” or “Nuclear Reactor.” There are striking differences between this fish knife and the table knife from Karlsruhe Student Services, which is also displayed in this exhibition and is about three decades older. The pre-World War II student body was considered an elite social group and dined in the refectory using 25-cm-long, silver-plated table knives. The fish knife, by contrast, is of a size commonly found in modern cutlery sets. The changeover from silver to stainless steel, points to the general acceptance of this material, especially in the cafeteria sector. Silver cutlery was also impractical to wash in such a large dining service with some 1,000 workers employed there. The knife’s simple and straightforward design suited contemporary aesthetic ideals. But this special stainless steel accessory also served as a status symbol. While many everyday objects from the Nuclear Research Center’s early years convey an impression of material modesty, this piece of cutlery — just as the occasional festive buffet held at the reactor cafeteria — reflected the Center’s elitist aspirations as a leading institution in national big science. kn