The beggar's bowl is both a physical reality among the poor and a spiritual symbol of our neediness. Fasting is a method for experiencing that neediness in a physical way. Select a small cereal bowl before you go to bed and place a flower and some water in it. Begin your fast in the morning by making the intention that your hunger will be a form of prayer for the homeless in your area. Eat nothing all day. In the evening, remove the flower and water, and limit your dinner to the amount of food that will fit in the bowl.

— Tom Cowan in The Way of the Saints