food names for people

while some food names for people are positive (creampuff, peach, stud muffin), most are in some way belittling, trivializing, objectifying, or sexist: arm candy, babycakes, beefcake, cheesecake, cookie, cupcake, cutie pie, dish, fruit, fruitcake, fruit salad, honeycakes, lambchop, marshmallow, pudding, pumpkin, sugar, sugar and spice, sweetie pie, tart, tomato, top banana. Metaphors are more acceptable than labels: "apple of my eye" can be said of either sex and it doesn't mean the person is an apple in the same way a woman is called a tomato. Strong writing depends on metaphors—even metaphors based on food—but there is a difference between labeling people and creating vivid word associations. See also animal names for people.