They are the best treats to offer guests and promise promotion and prosperity. There is a folk song sketching the New Year; from it we get a glimpse of how important the New Year's meal is to Chinese.
甜粿的吃法頗多，可以冷食、煎著吃或沾上麵粉和蛋用油炸；發粿和包仔粿都可以冷食或煎；菜頭粿煎了以後，沾蒜頭醬油吃，是年節裡待客最好的點心，吃了以後升官又發財。有一首描寫過年的民謠，從歌詞中可知中國人對年菜的重視程度。