Tofu Cat's One on One with Brian Flegel
Brian Flegal of Vegucated - a must see!
Vegucated -Written and directed by Marisa Miller Wolfson
The documentary Vegucated follows three meat- and cheese-loving New Yorkers who agree to adopt a vegan diet for six weeks. Lured by tales of weight lost and health regained, they begin to uncover the hidden sides of animal agriculture that make them wonder whether solutions offered in films like Food, Inc. go far enough. This entertaining documentary showcases the rapid and at times comedic evolution of three people who discover they can change the world one bite at a time. One of the three was Brian Flegel, who happily agreed to be interviewed by Tofu Cat.
Brian was born in California, went to NYC to attend NYU, studying Philosophy and Theatre. He also studied in Dublin, Ireland. Brian lived in New York for 9 years and then moved back to California in 2006 (shortly after filming Vegucated). While in New York he worked in publishing and with several theatre companies, mainly doing Shakespeare. Currently Brian manages a family Interior Design Furniture company.
“I randomly found myself in Vegucated because I was dating a friend of Marisa’s and she asked me to sit in for an interview about food… The rest is history.” – Brian Flegel
TC- The biggest question people ask after seeing the film is, “Are you still vegan?”
Yes, I’m still 100% Vegan and feeling good.
TC-After the filming, did you immediately decide to remain vegan, or was it a process?
Shortly after the filming wrapped up I did stay vegan for about another 6 weeks. However I got into a relationship with a non-vegan girl and ended up adding fish into my diet for about a year… I know … I know… not good on a few levels, but it was a way that we could ‘meet’ across the dinner table. When that relationship ended I went back to being full vegan and have been ever since, and I will never sacrifice my choices for someone else again. I’ve been vegan for almost 6 years now.
TC- How has your life changed after your participation in the film?
My whole life has changed. I feel very connected to the vegan community and have made lifelong friends who think and act as I do and I’m constantly learning more from those around me.
TC-What are you doing now in your life?
I manage a furniture and Interior design company in Northern California. I work with the city of Menlo Park (the town I live in) to put on events and I volunteer whenever I can. In addition I make myself available for Vegucated screenings / talk backs and any vegan animal rights stuff going on locally.
TC- While making the documentary, what part of the process impacted you the most? What did you learn about that really had you reconsider your choices?
As soon as I watched the documentary about factory farming during the filming of Vegucated, my heart and mind changed. I knew going vegan was not only good for me, but important for the world as a whole.
The remainder of this interview will be available online. Tofu Cat's Q and A with Brian shows us how open minded we all can be and that change is always possible.