Discultured’s National Food Awards 2025 is set to take place this November in Delhi, bringing together the voices, stories, and talent shaping India’s food culture today.

Food in India has never been just about sustenance. It’s a reflection of who we are, where we come from, and how we live, with every meal carrying the weight of memory, geography, and tradition in a way that few other cultural markers do. Street food served hot at roadside stalls, thalis packed with local seasonal produce, intricately plated dishes at fine-dining restaurants reimagining familiar flavours, home kitchens keeping traditional recipes alive, and cafes experimenting with global influences come together to form a food culture that continues to evolve while staying firmly rooted in regional identity and generational knowledge.

When we hosted the first edition of the National Food Awards, our intention was to draw attention to the people who are making a real impact in this space, not just those with visibility, but also those whose work often goes unnoticed despite playing a crucial role in influencing how we think about food in India today. We celebrated chefs holding on to legacy recipes, restaurants offering thoughtful experiences, and food entrepreneurs bringing in new ways of thinking, and through all of it, what became clear was that Indian food culture is being carried forward by people who are invested in its legacy, its present realities, and the possibilities it holds for change.

This year, as we return with the 2025 edition, the intent remains the same, which is to celebrate the minds, hands, and ideas that continue to influence the way India thinks about food. What makes this platform unique is that it doesn’t only look at the obvious or the already celebrated. It goes deeper, recognising those who work behind the scenes, often without a spotlight, but whose impact is far-reaching.

As the food industry continues to go through its own changes, driven by the trends of sustainability, accessibility, digital influence, and a return to local wisdom, we believe it’s important to create space for dialogue, recognition, and representation. The National Food Awards is our small contribution to that larger conversation.

This November in Delhi, we look forward to meeting the people who are changing the food map of the country with their own unique contributions and to telling their stories the way they deserve to be told.

If you’re a chef, restaurant, food entrepreneur, or someone building meaningful work in the food space, this is your moment. Check out the categories and register now to be considered for the National Food Awards 2025.

Also Read: The Biggest Moments for Indian Cinema at Cannes 2025 That Had Everyone Talking

Register Here : National Food Awards

It’s been an interesting week across pop culture and fashion, full of moments that made us pause, think and take note. Catch up on everything that mattered, all in one place.

Beyoncé Wears Custom Manish Malhotra at Cowboy Carter Tour in Paris

Beyoncé delivered a sartorial statement during the Paris leg of her Cowboy Carter Tour 2025, commanding the stage at Stade de France in a custom creation by Indian couturier Manish Malhotra. The look not only complemented her  performance but also marked a milestone moment for Indian design on an international platform.

The ensemble was an interplay of glamour and Western-inspired edge. A sleek black bodysuit, encrusted with crystals, was paired with thigh-high embellished boots and structured metallic detailing at the waist bringing together precision craftsmanship with bold stage presence.

Prada Spring/Summer 2026 Faces Backlash for Uncredited Use of Indian Kolhapuri Chappals

Prada’s Spring/Summer 2026 Menswear Show, held on June 22 at Fondazione Prada’s Deposito in Milan, is under fire. While the collection, designed by Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons, featured a range of soft, youthful silhouettes and minimalist set design, it was the footwear that grabbed attention online, especially from Indian audiences.

The flat, tan leather sandals with toe loops bore a striking resemblance to Kolhapuri chappals which is a traditional Indian footwear handcrafted in Kolhapur, Maharashtra. These chappals, protected under India’s Geographical Indication (GI) tag since 2019, are not just functional items but cultural artifacts passed down through generations.

Despite the obvious inspiration, neither the show notes nor the invitations made any reference to India or the artisans behind the original design. The omission has led to  criticism, with many accusing the luxury fashion house of cultural appropriation. People are pointing out how global fashion brands often borrow from South Asian aesthetics without acknowledging the communities they come from.

While some Indian users expressed pride at seeing a homegrown design on a global runway, the larger conversation centered on the industry’s persistent blind spot when it comes to giving credit where it’s due. This oversight feels tone-deaf and all too familiar.

All Seven BTS Members Complete Military Service, Fans Eager for What’s Next

BTS is once again dominating conversations worldwide, and this time it’s for a long-awaited reason. All seven members—RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook—have officially completed their mandatory military service in South Korea. With Suga, the final member, discharged on June 21, 2025, after serving as a social service agent, the group’s chapter of enlistment has come to a close. Naturally, anticipation is at an all-time high as fans eagerly await what’s next for the global superstars.

Stray Kids’ Seungmin Joins Burberry as New Brand Ambassador

British luxury label Burberry has officially announced Seungmin of Stray Kids as its newest brand ambassador. In a statement released on June 17, the fashion house praised Seungmin’s individuality and creative spirit, noting that his bold presence in both music and fashion aligns seamlessly with Burberry’s vision.

Creative director Daniel Lee welcomed him to the brand, saying, “We’re excited to have Seungmin join the Burberry family. His distinct style and energy bring a fresh perspective to our ongoing journey.” Reflecting on the partnership, Seungmin shared, “Becoming a Burberry ambassador is truly an honor. The brand’s heritage and identity inspire me, and I’m looking forward to what we’ll create together.”

Also Read: Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend and the Politics of Pop Imagery

Follow us for more : Dis_cultured

In the days following the reveal of Sabrina Carpenter’s new album cover, the internet did what it does best. It reacted, dissected, and divided. Here we unpack the cultural tensions beneath the surface, reading the album art as a lens through which broader anxieties about power, femininity, and performance in pop culture come into focus.

In an era where pop feminism coexists uneasily with the commodification of outrage, cultural lines are being redrawn by the churn of online discourse. On the internet, where context is scarce and opinion is currency, anything can lead to a global debate. The internet can crown a feminist icon on Monday and call for her cancellation by Wednesday, all while parsing a single image. That tension between performance and power, irony and impact is at the heart of the controversy surrounding Sabrina Carpenter’s forthcoming album, Man’s Best Friend.

Unveiled on June 11, 2025, the cover art didn’t whisper for attention but demanded it. Sabrina Carpenter, on her hands and knees in a black mini-dress and stilettos, is shown with her hair being pulled by an unseen man. The second picture posted had a dog wearing a collar that reads, unmistakably, “Man’s Best Friend.” The visual struck a nerve and not just one.

The Outrage: Misogyny in the Name of Art?

For many, the image crossed a line. Critics called it “degrading,” “tone-deaf,” and even “dangerously close to abuse imagery,” pointing to the submissive pose and hair-pulling as problematic signifiers. In a time where conversations about gender, consent, and objectification are more talked about than ever, the cover was accused of glorifying the very power imbalances feminism fights to dismantle.

What stung most for some was the perceived trivialization of violence against women (intentional or not). Sabrina Carpenter’s sizable young, largely female fanbase only amplified concerns, raising questions about the messages embedded in pop culture’s most shareable content. After all, in the age of the algorithm, an image rarely comes with its intended context.

The Defense: Satire, Subversion, and a Pop Provocateur

Yet, to others, the outrage missed the point entirely. Supporters argue the image is a satirical send-up of how women are reduced, infantilized, and leashed (figuratively and literally) by societal expectations. Placed alongside the lead single Manchild, which skewers immature male behavior, the cover reads to many as a deliberate, exaggerated critique of the roles women are made to play.

Her defenders have compared her to artists like Madonna, whose 1980s provocations once drew similar ire but are now seen as landmarks of feminist disruption. Carly Simon even entered the fray, calling Carpenter’s image “tame” compared to her own controversial Playing Possum cover from 1975, and reminding critics that art and outrage have always danced closely.

What This Debate Really Reveals

More than a debate about one pop star’s choices, the Man’s Best Friend controversy highlights the increasingly fragile space where art meets activism, and where interpretation often overrides intention. It’s not just that the image divided audiences  but also revealed the divisions within feminism itself. On one side is a cautionary stance: artists have responsibility, and imagery matters, particularly when consumed by millions when many of them are young and impressionable. On the other is a belief in feminist autonomy, in the power of women to use even the language of submission to challenge the systems that created it.

These aren’t new debates but the speed and volume of digital culture mean they play out faster, louder, and with fewer shades of gray. As we all know the internet leaves a very little room for nuance. What might have once been an artistic provocation now becomes a 10-second flashpoint, judged not in essays or reviews, but in quote tweets and comment sections.

Between Empowerment and Exploitation

So where does Man’s Best Friend really land in the ongoing conversation about power, gender, and performance in pop culture? The answer depends largely on whether one interprets Sabrina Carpenter’s choices as a reinforcement of a long-standing power fantasy or a subversive attempt to expose and dismantle it from within. Perhaps the discomfort the image provokes is itself the point which is an intentional provocation meant to challenge viewers to confront the contradictions embedded in popular representations of femininity and control. Whether it ultimately reads as a misjudged gesture or a sharp piece of cultural critique, the cover has undeniably started a necessary dialogue about how these dynamics are communicated, consumed, and contested.

It also reveals a deeper generational and ideological divide that has become increasingly pronounced in the digital age. For younger audiences who understand irony, meme culture, and postmodern self-awareness, the image might register as a playful form of rebellion, one that knowingly exaggerates in order to critique. For others, particularly those more attuned to the realities of lived inequality and the ongoing struggles against gender-based violence, the visual treads dangerously close to territory that feels all too real and raw, regardless of artistic intention. As pop culture continues to collapse the distance between commentary and consumption, between performance and lived experience, Man’s Best Friend functions as a cultural litmus test, measuring not just our opinions about one artist’s creative vision, but our broader anxieties and expectations surrounding representation itself.

Whether the cover is ultimately embraced as a feminist statement or condemned as a lapse in judgment, its ability to provoke such wide-reaching discourse underscores a simple but powerful reality: even in 2025, a single pop image retains the power to disrupt, divide, and demand attention, revealing just as much about the culture interpreting it as about the artist who created it. 

Also Read: Your Wardrobe Might Be Reflecting a Recession

Follow us for more : Dis_cultured