What had Esther done in "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath?

Question

In The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, Esther mentions that she drank some water with cherry blossoms in Mrs Guinea’s house and says that “it was only much later, […], that [she] learned what [she] had done”.

What exactly was it that she had done?

Answer 1

The water with cherry blossoms was a fingerbowl, intended for a diner to wash their fingers. Drinking the water (and eating the blossoms!) is a social faux pas, as Esther realized subsequently.