This method, of course, produces the slurping noise that is taboo in the West. To eat fan , a diner raises the bowl to her lips and pushes the grains into her mouth with chopsticks. The diner must finish all the fan . To leave even a grain is considered bad manners, a lack of respect for the labor required to produce it. Neither beverages nor dessert are commonly served with a meal.
People drink tea nearly all day, but at meals soup is usually the only liquid provided.
At special events there may be wine or liquor, but the water that westerners drink with their meals is never present. Sweet foods are usually reserved for special events, where they are served between courses, or for small meals at tea houses. Barron's Educational Series, 1995. How to Cook and Eat in Chinese by Buwei Yang Chao. Random House, 1972.