For all the talk about chopsticks - which I definitely can remember a time where I could not use - I’m surprised nobody has mentioned being able to use a fork or spoon correctly.
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Santa Clara University used to be University of Santa Clara, but decided that it did not want to be another USC.
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Well that depends on where you’re from! Mayhap you can elaborate on European customs, but I know in the UK they use their fork in their left hand, usually, tines down, upside down to us Americans. And almost always use a knife in their other hand to scooch the mushy peas on the back of the fork. Once when I was in the UK with my little kids they profusely apologized for a delay in getting us knives (they were getting washed) for our order of Mac-n-cheese, greek salad, and chips (aka fries), none of which us Americans would use a knife for.
I happily use chopsticks or forks the American style.
Yes, my niece attends SCU—our S was admitted but chose not to attend when we were told he would be asked to withdraw from the U if he missed 5 days in a quarter, even though he had a documented health condition that could cause frequent, prolonged absences. USC promised to work with him. He’s a happy USC alumni and bought us license plate holders for our car saying USC mom & dad. Haha!
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I was specifically referring to correctly holding a fork/spoon - not making a fist around the handle - as opposed to which hand to use for the fork.
Like most, but not all Europeans, I use my left hand for the fork when using a knife with my right. But that’s cultural vs common knowledge
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I would argue that all eating styles are cultural. My daughter dated an Indian girl who used her fingers for food I would eat with a fork (American style), and yet I saw British people using a knife and fork to eat pizza, which American culture would dictate usually eating with your hands. None of it seems to fall under the category of “common knowledge” 
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This might not be commonly known, but in Thailand food is eaten with a spoon and fork, not with chopsticks. Knives aren’t used either because the food is always served in bite sized pieces.
The fork is used to push the food onto the spoon and the spoon delivers the food to the mouth.
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It was important to my husband and me that our kids learned to use chopsticks. From the time they were using a fork we would take them to restaurants where chopsticks were used and ask the waiter if someone could make them the baby chopsticks ( where they use the wrapper and a rubber band) They would always do that. And my kids just naturally transitioned to regular chopsticks. Both kids have told us they are very grateful they just always remember knowing how especially because both love Chinese food.
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Couple of thoughts:
Only use cold water to clean blood stains (perhaps more common knowledge to women than men)
Don’t mix bleach and ammonia
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Well, that was, in part a publicity stunt, and in part to protect the university copyright. OSU started referring to themselves as “THE Ohio State University” as a joke and a branding stunt, to differentiate themselves from universities like Oregon State. However, Marc Jacobs filed a copyright claim for the word “The” for their products like “The Tote Bag”. OSU filed their claim in response.
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I can top that: THE Country Club
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During my New York residency:
The City (New York City)
The Times (New York Times)
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Actually the City refers to Manhattan only. Even when I lived in Brooklyn we talked about going into the city. 
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I think that may be changing. My 5 year old Grandkid often says to me, “you live in Manhattan. I live in Brooklyn.”
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When I worked there 50 years ago and lived in Queens, I would say “I’m going into the city this weekend.” My coworkers would snidely reply, “You’re in the city.”
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I think this may be a generational thing. At least when within the 5 boroughs, I can’t recall anyone in my peer group ever saying, “I’m going/living/working in the city.” They say the name of the borough if different than the one they’re in when speaking or the neighborhood if referencing something within the same borough.
No, not commonly known. I have friends locally who routinely ask for chopsticks in Thai restaurants, which some Thai people do use for noodles. But other Thai friends don’t eat with chopsticks at all. And even the waitstaff in American Thai restaurants, don’t always understand what I want when I request extra spoons to eat Thai style as well as serve the food.
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But what is disappearing from common knowledge is how to set a table properly. Folk on left, and knife on right. Water glass at top of knife. Spoon spot changes depending on British vs American style. I grew up eating British style with an immigrant dad. But switch around depending on the food.
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I passed down my British mom’s utensil positioning to my children. Fork in left hand, knife in right and so forth. Table set properly. My husband is strictly American, but I love him anyway.
Years ago at work, we’d go to lunch at a Thai restaurant frequented by the Thai Airways flight crews. That’s when I first had Thai food and when I learned that using a fork and /or a spoon was correct.
There’s also the whole sending people to the US to start restaurants as a Thai PR move, but that’s something for another day.
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We live in the DC area and I am always surprised by how many people do not know the streets are named after the 50 states! You can see the lightbulb go off when they put the pieces together…
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