the show was all orphan stew

[meliss]

"In Alexander’s fighting army, every trooper knew the mark he was to stand on. But here, a thousand miles to the rear, the show was all orphan stew. You ate when the cooks opened the tents and bunked where you could find a patch of dirt wide enough to hold your bones." (The Afghan Campaign by Steven Pressfield)
Hi. What does "the show was all orphan stew" mean?

 

[SoothingDave]

I imagine "orphan stew" is made out of whatever ingredients can be found, thrown into a pot.

By analogy, the soldiers in the rear took what they could get when they could get it. Whether food or sleeping arrangements. There was no planning.