What the heck is a munch?! (A Wicked Grounds Explainer) (Patreon)

Many terms from the BDSM community have filtered out into wider parlance. Vanilla folks* make jokes about using their safeword or calling red. Folks talk about not kink shaming or may even refer to themselves as vanilla -- or not.

But some jargon still confuses newcomers to the scene.

For example: What the heck is a "munch"? Is that a sex thing?! And why are there so many of them on the calendar?

A munch is simply a social gathering of kinky folks for what's usually a non-kink purpose: socializing, hanging out, getting to know you. In a community that includes many kink- or sexually-charged environments, a munch signifies a low-key, low-protocol way to meet other kinksters where the focus is building community and friendships.

I've heard that the term originated from "burger munch", although a few different locales make claim to first use of the term back in the early days of the internet, and it's hard to know for certain where it originated first. We've often heard it was Southern California, but the Bay Area and East Coast have made reasonable claims.

In my experience, there are a few specific kinds of munches -- and reading your event listing will help you know what you're getting into.

• Organizational munches are sponsored by a local BDSM group (for example, San Francisco's Society of Janus or Austin's GWNN) and are focused on socializing for that organization. These munches are a great way to meet new friends, learn about what the organization has to offer, and often to help connect with other resources & parties.
• Topical munches are organized around a specific area of interest. For example, here in SF there are munches for switches, submissives, dominants, asexual kinksters, kinky crafters, gamers, photographers, spiritual kinksters, and much more. Depending on the topics, light play may be allowed at or encouraged; rope events, events for adult age players and events for human animals often offer activities for optional PG-13 level play.
• Regional munches are often hosted in more rural areas or areas where it's harder to connect with niche BDSM groups, and provide a way to see what local resources exist. You'll often find representatives of a few local groups at these.

Anyone can start a munch. Yes, that includes YOU! All you need to start a munch is a good reputation in your community, a few friends, and a place to meet. If you want help starting a munch at Wicked Grounds, we have a whole FAQ for that on FetLife.

Never been to a munch? Get out there! Munches are the single easiest way to build community with like-minded individuals. Even if the first munch you go to isn't a good fit, it might help you find another group or munch that is a better fit for you. In many cities and regions of the US, attending munches is the only way to find out how to attend reputable classes & play parties, so going to a munch is a critical first step in becoming part of your local public scene. And being part of your local public scene improves your kink journey in many ways.

So your homework -- should you choose to accept it -- is to find a local or online munch and start meeting your community!

xoxo

Mir

*or are they . . . ? You never know!

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