Have I Murdered Hufu?
Two weeks ago I linked to the website of a company with plans to sell human-flavored tofu. I thought it was kind of funny at the time, but after posting the link I didn't think much about it until a few days ago when I received an email from Mark Nuckols, CEO of HUFU (the human tofu company). Mark requested that I remove the post about Hufu from my site, because by mentioning his product on the Museum of Hoaxes, he was concerned that people might think that Hufu wasn't real, or that it was some kind of hoax. Specifically he wrote that, "having it even come up on "museum of hoaxes" implies something not true, and as a debunker of hoaxes I am sure you don't wish to inadvertently or carelessly libel people trying to undertake the difficult enough task of starting a business."I told Mark that I thought his product was funny and I definitely supported it, but that I wasn't about to remove the post from my site. I have a real problem about removing things from my site unless they're shown to be false.
My response didn't satisfy Mark, who is now up to his third email to me. He seems like a nice guy, and I'm not certain that he isn't pulling my leg about this whole thing (although his emails sound very serious). But he really wants the post about his company removed. In fact, he's making me feel very guilty. In his last email he said that "being on your website is going to kill this undertaking in its crib... I am sure putting our business in jeopardy is not your intent." Ouch. But I'm not ready to accept that kind of blame. Sure, my site is called the Museum of Hoaxes, but that doesn't mean that everything on it is a hoax. Plus, the question I raised is a valid one: how would any customers know if this stuff really does taste like human flesh?
Anyway, my purpose in posting about this is so that if people google 'hufu' and find my site, they'll also see this post where I'm going to state that I don't want to be responsible for the death of Hufu. I genuinely think it's a funny marketing concept, and Mark Nuckols insists that it's real. However, I still don't understand how he can know that it really tastes like human flesh.
Listed in chronological order. Newest comments at the end.
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Sorry, but it isn't the Hoax site thats going to kill this product in the crib...
Posted by Gunnar Rieger in Boston on Fri Jun 03, 2005 at 08:47 AM
Just to find out, I have right this minute sucked my left forearm for a few seconds. It tasted of soap... and faintly of washing powder. So, there you have it. Human flesh tastes of soap and washing powder.
Posted by Ashley Pomeroy on Fri Jun 03, 2005 at 01:53 PM
So, there you have it. Human flesh tastes of soap and washing powder.
Well that would depend on where or what the person you decided to taste was doing right? Let's see, I clamped my mouth on someones arm and it tasted like salt. Obviously this person had been sweating.
Nuckels, stop repackaging spam mixed with tofu and marketing it as Hufu! If you want us all to believe in you, present scientific fact that Hufo does indeed exist and that it does indeed taste like flesh *shudders* yuck. I think you would have had a better chance at marketing something like human hair dental floss or something.
Posted by Derek Punsalan on Fri Jun 03, 2005 at 11:56 PM
Well that would depend on where or what the person you decided to taste was doing right? Let's see, I clamped my mouth on someones arm and it tasted like salt. Obviously this person had been sweating.
Nuckels, stop repackaging spam mixed with tofu and marketing it as Hufu! If you want us all to believe in you, present scientific fact that Hufo does indeed exist and that it does indeed taste like flesh *shudders* yuck. I think you would have had a better chance at marketing something like human hair dental floss or something.
Posted by Beasjt on Sat Jun 04, 2005 at 02:14 AM
As the vice-president of co-development of PepsiBlue, I would be horrifed to see my company's product PepsiBlue mentioned on this site about hoaxes. I would rather see http://www.pepsiblue.com properly linked among non-hoax sites and not on sites like this one that list hoaxes. That would not be good for PepsiBlue was we work hard to create customer awareness and appreciation for our superior product among non-hoax appreciating users.
Posted by Steve Portigal in Montara, CA on Sat Jun 04, 2005 at 07:45 AM
"... something like human hair dental floss ..."
Hmmm, would that work?
If so, it would save me maybe 25 cents per month.
Posted by Big Gary C in Dallas in Dallas, Texas, USA on Sat Jun 04, 2005 at 09:56 AM
Hmmm, would that work?
If so, it would save me maybe 25 cents per month.
"being on your website is going to kill this undertaking in its crib... I am sure putting our business in jeopardy is not your intent."
If Hufu's CEO is still reading this, I think he knows the obvious by now. What's killing his business undertaking is the fact this his concept is utterly revolting & unappetizing. Of course jeopordizing his business is not Alex's intent. But if HuFu IS real, then boycotting it is MY intent..
Posted by Electra on Sat Jun 04, 2005 at 02:46 PM
If Hufu's CEO is still reading this, I think he knows the obvious by now. What's killing his business undertaking is the fact this his concept is utterly revolting & unappetizing. Of course jeopordizing his business is not Alex's intent. But if HuFu IS real, then boycotting it is MY intent..
Besides, 'inconvenient' Google search results are a fact oflife. People actually got very upset recently because a Google for 'Jew' would pop up some scathingly anti-semetic websites at the top of the list, because they used a lot of link-farming techniques.. Things have been tweaked since then to prevent it, but if he's worried about a negative result popping up, bear in mind that most search engines accept bri.. er.. have Sponsored Links that pop up first..
Posted by Bobcat on Sat Jun 04, 2005 at 11:45 PM
try the old 'any publicity's good publicity' thing. kinda true, i wouldnt know about it otherwise
Posted by thunder in England on Sun Jun 05, 2005 at 06:36 AM
Hell, at this point I would try to darn stuff, just to see how bad or not it is.
I'd even be happy to report back to all you guys, but I'm not sure it really exists either. Mind you, I've never tasted human flesh, in the literal sense, so I couldn't tell you if it really did taste like people or not.
Posted by Winona in USA on Sun Jun 05, 2005 at 12:47 PM
I'd even be happy to report back to all you guys, but I'm not sure it really exists either. Mind you, I've never tasted human flesh, in the literal sense, so I couldn't tell you if it really did taste like people or not.
I'd think that behaving like a tit is going to do the guy's company more harm that being linked to from here...
I really can't believe there's much of a serious market out there for this product (I'd be damned worried if there was!); most of any business is going to be students looking for that perfect gift for a flatmate and stuff - in which case this site is just the kind of plug he wants. Or would be, if he wasn't undermining it by making himself look so tarned humourless...
Posted by paul in prague in errrm.... on Mon Jun 06, 2005 at 04:37 AM
I really can't believe there's much of a serious market out there for this product (I'd be damned worried if there was!); most of any business is going to be students looking for that perfect gift for a flatmate and stuff - in which case this site is just the kind of plug he wants. Or would be, if he wasn't undermining it by making himself look so tarned humourless...
Well, you CAN buy hufu on the site. Why not buy some hufu and see if it comes and eat it?
Unfortunately, I'm thirteen and my grandparents would not approve of me buying hufu, even if it is FAKE human flesh.
Posted by Madolyn in Fort Wayne on Mon Jun 06, 2005 at 11:51 AM
Unfortunately, I'm thirteen and my grandparents would not approve of me buying hufu, even if it is FAKE human flesh.
Perhaps this Mark Nuckols character takes himself a bit too seriously. Does anyone really believe that hufu classic strips will generate any more interest, over the long run, than does fake scat sold at joke shops?
Posted by Dennis the Menace on Tue Jun 07, 2005 at 09:09 PM
This reminds me so much of Soylent Green
Posted by Gabe on Wed Jun 08, 2005 at 01:53 PM
Are you REALLY supposed to feel sorry if the company goes under? I hope it does. Disgusting!
Posted by carp on Sun Jun 12, 2005 at 12:40 AM
How many hits do you think he gets a day just because people saw it here and were curious? I know I just thumbed through his website. I still think it's bullshit. I mean come on. PLENTY of shirts available, but the "HuFu" is back ordered.
Zer010
Posted by Zer010 in Ohip on Thu Jun 16, 2005 at 02:27 PM
Zer010
Posted by Splarka on Thu Jun 23, 2005 at 09:30 PM
I've been visiting the site periodically since before it "went live" after hearing about it on an internet radio program, and because I blogged about it. From my perspective, the site went live first with just the promotional paraphenalia (shirts, aprons, etc.) The first time I actually saw the link for buying Hufu, it said it was back-ordered. Now, I suppose that it is quite possible that all the available product was sold immediately, but it does look suspicious to me. I haven't tried (nor will I) to buy any of it to see if the purchase actually will go through, but I've got an inkling that the whole thing is an elaborate scheme to sell T-shirts and aprons......and flesh-eating DVDs. Brilliant. Disgustingly brilliant.
Posted by Bobbie in Gettysburg PA on Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 04:22 PM
It's nice that Hufu is so concerned with going out of business, and that the president of the company himself would email this site, because these guys still haven't replied to any of my emails about the t-shirt they never sent me.
If my experience is any example, the only hoax going on at Hufu is them taking people's money and not delivering anything in exchange. And I believe the technical term for that is Internet Fraud, not hoax.
--rick
Posted by Rick in Gilroy, CA on Mon Jul 04, 2005 at 02:20 PM
If my experience is any example, the only hoax going on at Hufu is them taking people's money and not delivering anything in exchange. And I believe the technical term for that is Internet Fraud, not hoax.
--rick
I actually had the opportunity to taste hufu, i guess my friend and i were lucky enough to order it before the "back order" came up. Interesting flavor, who knows if it tastes like people.
Anwyays, I ordered a shirt from them a couple months ago and have yet to receive it, they've charged my card, and I cannot get a response out of them with several emails wondering if it has been shipped or what. Anyone else have any problems?
Posted by 00twan on Sun Jul 10, 2005 at 02:44 PM
Anwyays, I ordered a shirt from them a couple months ago and have yet to receive it, they've charged my card, and I cannot get a response out of them with several emails wondering if it has been shipped or what. Anyone else have any problems?
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