Every morning at about 5:30 in Luang Prabang, monks and novices emerge into the streets carrying alms bowls. The city's official tourism site says local people wait after preparing sticky rice and other foods, then place a portion into the bowl of each monk as he passes. The ritual proceeds in silence, and visitors are instructed to keep their distance and not obstruct the procession.
Here the people receiving service do not move toward a counter. Donors wait in place while the ordered line of monks comes to them. The distinctive feature is this reversal of ordinary queuing roles: those who wait are giving rather than receiving, and the brief transfer of food is repeated across the town every morning.