It can, if a person does it with a right attitude. Some people will observe what is called Uposatha day Rules, I should mention what they are for some of you who don't know. Most of you know Buddhism has what is called, the Five Precepts. These are a set of training rules, where you don't kill intentionally, you don't steal, you don't do sexual misconduct, you don't use false and misleading speech, etc. and you don't take intoxicants that confuse the mind. Traditionally on the Full Moon, the New Moon and Quarter Moon days, every seven or eight days as the moon changes, some Buddhists will take on a few extra training rules. They will not eat in the afternoon, not sleep on high and luxurious beds, and not go to shows and movies, not wear jewelry and that sort of thing. The main part of the extra precepts is not to eat in the afternoon and that affects a lot of people.
If you feel you want to do that in the West that is fine. Use it as a training rule to learn how not to eat in the afternoon. We don't talk about it in the retreats but for individual interviews, we often do. In a retreat like this, if you want to experiment not eating in the afternoon, take on this extra training rule and see what happens. See whether you have any benefit or non-benefit from it. When you are in the West, though, one thing to keep in mind is who you are eating with. If you are staying with your parents this might not be an appropriate training practice to do on that day, it might interfere with your relationship with your parent or parents. It's their hospitality we are dealing with. So it just depends. Know your intention behind taking on any extra practice rules. Know your intention.