From Legacy Wiki
The statement 'Spoons Up' or 'Spoons Down' has become a common way to express agreement or disagreement in the game; this saying originated when Mehean's girlfriend asked "Why is that smiley holding a spoon?" rather than the originally intended thumbs up / thumbs down look.
The statement actually caught on so quickly that Zorg did not bother to alter the emoticon as most players found the new saying amusing.