Fifty Shades of Yum

On The Importance of Kinks, Fetishes and Bondage Accessories in the Yummish Life

It is important to state, from the outset, that the Yummish use of the term “bondage” differs somewhat from that racy novel the interwebs are all abuzz about. (Though it can encompass that definition of the term, if that's your fancy.)

The Yummish use of the word in no way implies limitation or, worse yet, enslavement. Rather, Yummish Bondage is closer to the merging of atoms to form a single molecule. Each part retains its own identity, its own “self,” at the same time, each is completely changed, transformed into a new whole, greater than the sum of these parts. This is the bond shared among spouses (result: marriage), parents and children (result: family), soccer fans (result: stadium riot) – a bond of deep caring and great passion.

Some sticklers for grammar have pointed out that the word “bonding” could be used in place of “bondage,” thus clarifying the whole issue. After giving it much thought, the Yummish Council elected to stay with the less grammatical but cheekier term, simply because it is so.

However, to avoid/create future confusion, below is a list of terms related to said "Bondage" and their use in the Yummish context:

Kink: (n) A Yum shared by two or more people which non-participants might consider offbeat, such as a shared passion for Salsa dancing or for dancing in salsa. Kinks are often the foundation of Yummish bonds.

Fetish: (n) An external sign of a bond shared by two or more people. The fetish is used to identify the bond both between/among the partners and to the world at large i.e., wedding bands or Red Wings fan gear.

Bondage Accessory: (n) Externals that strengthen and promote such bonds. They may be large and complex affairs, like a summer home on the beach, or small, simple items like the old swing on the porch where you sit every night after the kids have gone to bed.

Our lives are filled with such kinks and fetishes. We share friendship bracelets. We share last names. We make homes and fill them with mementos and souvenirs.

These kinks, fetishes and other accessories are the ties that bind us together, allowing us to share something of our unique experience as a person (aka Yum) with another and to know, with complete, blissful certainty, that they have felt as you feel. That experience makes all these accessories sacred, no matter how great or small their “actual” value. They are the ties that bind us and the experiences that define us.