Somebody had to work awfully hard to make such an unappetizing meal. Not joking a bit here, but when I had 14 years in the Air Force, I went PCS, to an Army community in Germany, with 17,000 Army and 2,000 Air Force. I went to eat at the Army dinning hall a few times. Without a doubt, it was the worst food I ever had. USAF dinning halls always had much better food. I don’t know how those Army troops ever tolerated that awful food.
I was Officer of the Day every few months. One of our duties was to eat in the Enlisted Mess. The idea was that the OD was to make sure the troops were getting decent meals. Actually they weren't bad, considering how many they had to cook for. At least as good as what I are in my college dormitory dining rooms.