There is some support for the latter view, because the nearest formal parallel for such bowls from antique contexts is in depictions of the Oracular Cortina, a three-hooked bowl suspended within a tripod, over which the priestess sat when pronouncing oracles. Certainly if water were contained in the bowls it is more likely to have been for ritual or liturgical purposes than for general consumption owing to the limited capacity.
There is some evidence supporting the idea that these bowls were not meant for general use. The closest historical parallels are found in depictions of the Oracular Cortina, a three-hooked bowl suspended over a tripod used by priestesses to deliver oracles. If water was present, it would have been more likely used for ritual or religious purposes than everyday consumption due to the limited capacity of the bowls.