Blogchatter Anthology registrations are on and if you want to be published, all you need to do is to write a short story on the given theme. The theme in 2025 is FOOD and if it has you wondering what to make of it and how you can craft a story around something we eat, read on. 

Why does a story need a theme

A theme for a story is the foundation on which it rests. A story will have a sequence of events but they need to have some meaning for the reader. A theme imparts that meaning. Writing to a given theme may feel daunting at first. As a writer you may think, oh, but the story is there in my head, why do I need to burden it with something profound right when I am sitting down to write. Worry not, a theme will give cohesion to your storyline.

Let us dive into how you can interpret the theme of Food and craft a story with your unique perspective.

How can you incorporate food into your story

First off, let us look at things not to do.

Writing or recreating a recipe 

Remember you are writing a story which has to have lively characters that change or grow over the course of the story. Merely talking about a dish that has been handed down the generations may not be very captivating.

Using food to create scenes that are not pivotal to the story

A lot of your story may take place in the kitchen but if food is just a meal that happens while the characters are doing other important things, that would underplay the importance of food.

What you can do with food

Use food as a lens to explore emotions, relationships or even societal issues.

A few examples from popular media will help you get the gist.

The Great Indian Kitchen, a Malayalam language film exposed the everyday misogyny and patriarchy in Indian families through the kitchen.

In the 2014 movie The Lunchbox, food is a narrative device that shines light on identity and connections in the protagonists’ lives.

In Interstellar Megachef by Lavanya Laxminarayan, food symbolises culture and identity and sometimes, it becomes an act of defiance. 

Butter by Asako Yuzuki has a very sensual exploration of food. It also uses food to explore body-shaming and sexism at the workplace. 

In the movie Julie and Julia, women take up cooking to find joy and purpose. The movie explores autonomy and social class through food.

Some prompts to get you started on your story

You now may have the faint stirrings of a story in your mind. But your characters are elusive, you are not sure of the timelines and there are too many characters that you would love to put in. 

Let us help you by clearing your head and giving some prompts that can get you thinking about food and the undercurrents they can hold.

Note: These prompts are only meant to help you get started. It is completely optional to use these storylines while submitting your story for the Blogchatter Anthology.

1. Think about a recent memorable meal with family or friends. What happened? Were you meeting after a long time? Was there a misunderstanding there that got resolved?
2. What does food mean to you as a family? Does it mean sustenance? Or a way to connect over dinner?
3. Which is your favourite food? Are there any stories around why you like it? Say, you had it first with a crush?
4. Are there any foods that your community avoids? Why? Are there any nuances you could pick?
5. Think about how babies discover taste or how they react to unfamiliar foods. Do these things turn into rigid mindsets in adult life? Is there a story you can weave there?

Ready to be published

With Blogchatter Anthology, you can be a published author when your story gets accepted. If you want to know why you should register and where to do it, head over to the Registration Page.