I’m a vegan restaurateur who’s married a mysterious man who claims to be able to make his dog immortal. But there’s something about veganism that I don’t like, so I’m a bit suspicious. Is there a darker side to my dietary habits?
Melngailis
Sarma Melngailis is a cookbook author, chef, and businesswoman. She founded a vegan raw food restaurant called One Lucky Duck. Sadly, the restaurant closed last year because she could not pay the workers who worked for her. However, she continues to publish cookbooks and talk about how good she is and how her recipes can change your life for the better.
As the owner of a Manhattan restaurant, Sarma Melngailis has had her share of bad press. Her documentary also includes interviews with former employees who worked for Pure Food and Wine. These employees left the restaurant because they were not paid and went on strike. The owner of the restaurant eventually paid the unpaid employees, but not before Melngailis took nearly $2 million in fraudulent payments.
Strangis
Anthony Strangis, the bad vegan, was a vegan turned criminal. While incarcerated for nearly five years, Strangis has yet to speak publicly. He didn’t comment on the documentary’s immediate release, but his lawyer said Strangis had put the controversy behind him. However, Strangis’s attorney, Mark Melngailis, was less than apologetic. He blamed the release of the documentary on Netflix’s marketing efforts.
The movie was based on true events. Strangis was accused of coercive control over Sarma Melngailis, the owner of a popular New York City restaurant. He also allegedly subjected her to blackmail and psychological abuse. The pair swindled $2 million from their employees. The two were finally arrested in May 2016 in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
Manion
In his latest film, Manion is a bad vegan, Chris Smith, the producer of Tiger King, argues that the character Strangis manipulated Melngailis for his own personal gain. While the film does not present Strangis’s side of the story, the trailer does suggest that Strangis blackmailed Melngailis by promising immortality to her pet dog.
In the final scene, Strangis uses a fantastical test to entice Melngailis to lend him money. He threatens to hurt her if she doesn’t follow through. This process is similar to that of cults, in which con artists manipulate their victims into following their lead for as long as possible.
Rivera
Danette Rivera is a former salsa dancer, ocean swimmer, street baller, and CrossFit level one trainer. Now she devotes most of her time to cooking raw foods. She has two daughters and is married to a crossfit trainer. She has been a vegan for nine years.
Netflix has just released a new documentary series titled “Bad Vegan” about her experience. In it, she opens up about her own arrest and explains why she became a vegan. “I was a poor person,” she says. “I wanted to make a difference. My life was ruined by a vegan lifestyle.” In the Netflix docuseries, Rivera is a bad vegan – but that’s not the only thing that happened to her.
Netflix
A Netflix documentary series examining a woman’s bizarre experience of becoming a vegan is a fascinating and timely piece of television. This series follows the life and times of a woman who becomes a vegan and the people that surround her. Although the subject is a controversial one, “The Bad Vegan” strikes the right balance between genuine curiosity and sympathy. It invites viewers to witness the ripple effects of one woman’s decision to become a vegan and offers compassion for her victims.
The bad vegan on Netflix explores the repercussions of her actions on a family. One woman, Sarma Melngailis, was once considered the queen of vegan cuisine, but she quickly became a fugitive after falling in love with a con man who promised her the world.
