Many content creators highlight mom-and-pop restaurants, but none of them are as raw as Natasha Sonya Zhatko. Maybe because it’s difficult to be disingenuous when you’re high off a hefty 80-milligram dose of weed gummies.
Zhatko runs the @natashahasthemunchies account on Instagram and TikTok, where she reviews independent food spots in Southern California. She mainly visits small businesses located in the High Desert, Los Angeles, and Orange County. Some of the featured cuisines on her page are Ethiopian, Vietnamese, and Guatemalan food.
“I'll wake up in the morning and I'll be like, dang. I haven't tried Hawaiian food yet, and seafood sounds so good today,” Zhatko says. “So I'll look up a Hawaiian place near me. And when picking the restaurant, I try to find places with less reviews … ”
Born and raised in New York City, she seems to have found her niche on the internet, documenting a lifestyle that is just so Californian. She knows that fellow stoners enjoy her content, but her audience isn’t just sticking around for the weed.
“I think what people really enjoy is seeing, like, smaller restaurants that don't really get a lot of recognition, maybe because a lot of these places can't really afford marketing, and they can't really afford to invite these influencers over,” Zhatko says.
One of Zhatko’s most viewed posts is her video on Apple Valley’s Himalayan Indian Kitchen. She took five 10-milligram gummies before ordering a mango lassi, samosas, and a plate with tandoori chicken and saag paneer. The video has 6.9 million views on TikTok and over 348,000 likes on Instagram as of Oct. 22.
At each restaurant, Zhatko chats with her server to ask if they are comfortable with being filmed. Sometimes this opens up a conversation between Zhatko and the workers about her content, including how well business has been going.
Instead of recording with her phone, Zhatko uses Meta Ray-Bans glasses which include a filming feature—like the discontinued Google Glass that never really took off. (This is probably the best use of Meta Ray-Bans that the internet has seen before.)
“The first time I went out with the glasses, I didn't ask if it's okay to film, and I just had this weird feeling that it just felt wrong,” Zhatko says.
Since this approach felt “invasive,” Zhatko began requesting permission to film at the start of each video, a gesture that became a signature part of her content.
At Himalayan Indian Kitchen, the owner discounted Zhatko’s food after she tried refusing a free dessert. Zhatko says in her video that she felt a need to “pay it back.” So she bought Del Taco for two homeless individuals.
Beyond commenters being utterly stunned at her considerable THC tolerance, users also point out how her content differs from others’ on the internet.
“You’re doing this the right way,” one TikTok user writes. “Anonymity of the homeless. Disclosing of the glasses recording to the owner. Kind words and genuine conversation had. Keep it up !!!”
Al Baraka Restaurant, a family-run business in Anaheim’s Little Arabia District, is Zhatko’s favorite spot that she has reviewed so far.
The owners, originally from Palestine and Syria, are known for their homemade recipes crafted generations ago. Zhatko’s video on Al Baraka has reached 5.9 million views on TikTok and 5.4 thousand likes on Instagram. She took three gummies before heading in.
As Aref Shatarah, one of the owners, helped Zhatko decide what to order, she said that she hoped this video would encourage new customers to stop by.
Shatarah confidently responded, “You will.” Zhatko tried five dishes at Al Baraka including bamya, musakhan, and hummus.
Her commentary rarely ever goes into detail about textures or presentation, instead opting for phrases like “I really like that” or “that looks so good.” (Remember: she is high as fuck.) Zhatko’s simple feedback comes across as sincere, contrasting heavily with foodie accounts that blast sound effects and aggressive moaning into the camera.
“So grateful for creators like you on this app,” another TikTok user comments. “Thank you for using your platform for supporting small businesses, doing good deeds, being shamelessly political and de-stigmatising gardening x.”
On TikTok, users often replace any weed-related word with “gardening” due to the app’s strict censorship. TikTok’s strict regulations also led to Zhatko’s use of gummies onscreen since smoking is more likely to be flagged.
Zhatko works within a short window of time–she only has a few hours to film while her two kids are down for nap time. As a stay-at-home mom, Zhatko works around her children’s schedule. She edits her videos the same day as filming, usually while her kiddos are sleeping, and then posts the video right after.
So, yes, you can still have fun in your thirties.
The amount of gummies she takes in her videos depends on “vibes” and typically falls between 20 milligrams and 80 milligrams. If she’s getting picked up by an Uber driver and not a loved one, her intake will probably be on the lower side that day.
Zhatko considers cannabis to be her “daily medicine.” Her current relationship with weed comes after a period of struggling with her mental health, drug abuse, and subsequent rehab during her early 20s.
“I was just kind of doing [videos] for fun and in hopes of maybe making a few extra dollars on the side, you know,” Zhatko says. “And after that first video blew up, I was like, ‘I'm going with it. I'm gonna go full force.’”
Now Zhatko is trying to get used to strangers recognizing her while she’s out running errands. About two months ago, fans started stopping her in public for photos. As more people avoid patronizing large chains, it’s likely that Zhatko’s accounts will only continue to grow–and that her days of "picking her nose in traffic” are long gone.
