I just had a pretty strange interaction in the unofficial Hueligans Facebook group and it got me thinking. And not just about how the Hueligans Facebook group is a profoundly strange place at times.
Someone posted about how they added some extras to their Hot & Savoury, to bulk it out a little, plus some sauces and such for taste. And someone commented saying that this “defeats the point of Huel”. I asked what they thought “the point” was and they said it was a “meal replacement” cited the first bit you see on the website “Swap out lunch, swap in Huel.” etc.
So, that got me wondering about what people actually seem to think “the point” of Huel is? My impression has always been (even since the v1 days when I first tried it) was that it was food, same as any other food, specifically not a meal replacement, and so adding extras to it would not “defeat the point” of it. Surely you can only defeat the point of a food if you don’t eat it at all?
I feel like in the past few years, I’ve observed a bit of an uptick in Huel purists, and joining the Hueligans group has really brought that into focus. And I kind of hate it, because I can imagine it puts new people off when they see someone scold someone else for adding a bit of chicken and some chilli sauce to their H&S. As much as I like Huel, it is not perfect (for me) straight out of the bag, and every interaction I’ve ever seen with Huel staff has been encouraging of experimentation, adding things, trying different methods of mixing, etc. So it’s weird to see these purists gatekeep Huel in what seems like direct opposition of what Huel themselves say.
This turned into a bit more of a rant than I thought it would…
I think one of the actual strengths of Huel is the fact that it is so flexible and so many people tinker with its taste by mixing and adding their own take on it.
In this respect – it’s no different to any other ‘regular’ food recipe. Yes some people will prefer to stick to it 100% as is but the danger of that is you could get bored with it quite easily. Variety being the spice of life an all that.
It’s also why I don’t get it when people say the world has ended because (insert flavour here) doesn’t taste exactly how they want it to. So just change it. Doing that barely detracts from the convenience aspect of it and everyone’s taste experience is different so each of us know what we like.
There is no “point” - it is a product like anything else that you can use any way you like. But maybe you noticed that there has been an increased tendency to become radical among people recently - regardless of the topic. People tend to form strong opinions on even minor topics and defend them desperately, maybe because that gives them a perceived sense of security or stability in turbulent times. This has nothing to do with a product or a company, the underlying issue is a psychological issue.
Yeah, the flexibility is what always brings me back to Huel. The effort involved in cooking a bit of chicken to put into my H&S is very little compared to the effort that would be involved if I wanted to make my own, say, Thai Green Curry. So the convenience is still there no matter what way you cut it! And even if someone wants to make an elaborate meal around their Huel, it seems odd to criticise that.
The requests from people for “the best” Huel flavour are another aspect of that which baffles me a little bit, because of exactly what you said. My tastes are different to yours. How is my opinion of any use to someone else? I’ve seen people say they hate my beloved Berry powder, and turn people away from it. It’s a shame when people don’t let themselves try something because someone on the internet said it was rubbish!
True, you’re probably correct about why there’s more hardline opinions. Strange that people are forming it over a particular type of food, but I suppose the pandemic is doing all kinds of weird things to people. Just wish they wouldn’t jump on newbies and crap on their enthusiasm by saying they’re wrong to customise food that I think is probably one of the most customisable products I’ve ever had!
The topic on which people form radical opinions sometimes seems pretty random. There are also folks who make a religion out of the question on what operating system they use - as if everyone who does not use e.g. Linux was doomed to go to hell…
Oh I dunno. Was it you? All I remember was someone saying they were quitting…which is always an excuse for people to say things like it’s not an airport no need to announce your departure etc.
Nah I don’t remember anyone declaring that they quit! Unless the guy that blocked me decided to flounce after I could no longer see what he was saying. I love to drop the “this isn’t an airport” line when people flounce off haha.
There are so many nutrition products these days that people get lost. There’s a lot of garbage, and it’s hard to find something that works for you. Even the reviews are not always true. And here people trust the product.