When forks appeared in quantities in England, knives changed in shape, and rounded blade ends replaced the pointed ones, since forks had assumed the function of the pointed blade. However, since most New England knives were made in England, and the fork appeared later in America, this relationship did not prevail in the New World. Using a round-ended knife and not having a fork, one would either have made considerable use of the fingers conveying solid foods to the mouth or made do with a spoon. This raises an interesting, if conjectural, point. Americans often comment that Europeans use their forks “upside down.” In fact, by the simple rule of priority and majority, it is Americans who are “upside down.” Since we did not learn to use forks until sometime after the ends of knives were rounded, the change in the manner of food conveyance was not directly from knife tip to fork tine, as it was in England. The only intermediate utensil available was the spoon; one could cut food and transfer it to the spoon bowl. If even one generation used knife and spoon in this manner, the fork, upon its belated appearance, would be used in a manner similar to the spoon. Which is precisely the way we use it today. Yet, in its function of anchoring food for cutting, the fork is held curve don; it is turned over while transferring the food from the plate to the mouth. This distinctive way of using the knife, fork, and spoon came into existence during the late-seventeenth and early-eighteenth centuries, and thus is one more American idiosyncrasy arising from isolation during that period.

James Deetz, In Small Things Forgotten: The Archaeology of Early American Life
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