This tidbit will sit with me for a while:

We also keep the tines of the fork upward like a scoop, unlike in Europe, where the fork stays in the left hand and the tines point downward. This is apparently because Americans first began to use forks in the 17th century, before they fully evolved in Europe.

– Zocalo Public Square (h/t The Overspill)

My family is European in its knife handling, but not on the tine direction. Also, there is an excellent use case for the spork that is missed – you can take a metal spork in US airports where a metal fork is unwelcome. Chopsticks + Spork FTW