Sailors are losing 20-30 pounds on a cruise because of lack of food......this is not normal......this is not OK.....you should be ashamed of yourself.
That's bullshit too.
First, you walk everywhere you go. That might not sound like much but on a carrier it can be a workout on its own.
Then there's simply working itself. Many jobs are labor intensive.
Add to that if what you do has irregular hours or is hard work you may not want to stand in a chow line to eat.
Food is plentiful if not particularly varied. That repetition can get old and wear on you too.
But, lack of food is bullshit.
Been there, done that, for years no less. You haven't got a clue what you're talking about. And don't shove some anecdotal evidence from some journalist as proof otherwise. Not buying it.
For example, at one point in the IO we had a steak and lobster dinner served. I didn't want to wait an hour in the chow line to get a serving after coming off watch. I was just too tired. So, I gave that a hard pass.
Or, at 90 days we were given 2 warm beers on the hanger bay. They sucked. Many guys didn't take them up on the offer. It just wasn't worth it. And yes, they served those two beers to every crew member if they wanted them because that was in regulations. Serving real butter, not margarine is also a Navy specific requirement. It is in the regulations. The other services can use margarine, but the Navy cannot.
I remember one night at about 0200 getting off a particularly hard repair situation where we had to get a main steam booster pump motor back in and running on the "booster flats" in one of the engine rooms, can't remember which. I headed aft to berthing and got a towel and took a shower in lukewarm water with the head all to myself. That was a memorable shower. Something so mundane and small, but I remember it to this day.
Again, STFU because you don't know what you're talking about here.