Pet names are kinda a big thing. We all have our baes, boos and babes, but nothing compares to these food-related terms of endearment. Before you know it, you’ll be calling your boo “tamago data kao,” because that’s the flattering thing to do in Japan.
1. Terrón de Azúcar
Photo courtesy of creativemarket.com
Similar to the pet name “sugar” in the US, Spanish-speaking countries often use the term “sugar cube” as a go-to. Sugar has a sweet sound to it, but if you ask me, adding cube to the end takes the nickname to another level of cute.
2. Mon Petit Chou
Photo by Liz Kaplan
Has a fun little ring to it, right? Translated literally, “mon petit chou” means “my little cabbage.” In America, we know cabbage as the greenish vegetable found in egg rolls, but the French know cabbage as a warmhearted term of endearment. Maybe this is how Cabbage Patch Kids got their name… just some food (or should I say cabbage) for thought.
3. Chuchuzinho
Photo by Kendra Valkema
Instead of little cabbage, Brazilians and Portuguese prefer little squash. “Chu-chu-zin-ho” — say it fast, say it slow, either way it rolls off the tongue so effortlessly.
4. Zhū Gōng/Zhū Po
Gif courtesy of giphy,com
In China it’s common to call your spouse “little pig husband” or “little pig wife.” People do love bacon, so we won’t judge this one. This zhū gōng went to the market, and this zhū po cried all the way home…
5. Min Guldklump
Photo by Parisa Soraya
“My gold nugget,” just like little nuggets we all ate after school while running around the playground. In Denmark, calling someone you love your gold nugget is not only adorable, but also a heart-warming compliment.
6. Schnecke
Photo courtesy of regimea.com
Is it just me, or does “schnecke” sounds like “schmuck”? Well, unlike the meaning of schmuck (a fool), schnecke means snail in German. The idea of being called a slimy-shelled mollusk kind of makes me want to throw up, but then again, so does the thought of eating escargot.
7. Fragolina
Photo by Liana Lis
The Italians top the charts when it comes to sight-seeing, food, and now, endearing nicknames. I don’t know about you, but I love strawberries (especially when covered in chocolate). Although, for me, I think the ultimate compliment would be “fragolina cioccolato,” because we all know that a chocolate-covered strawberry surpasses a plain one.
8. Krusyznko
Photo courtesy of seriouseats.com
You know something that all people have in common? The love of carbs. I guess the Polish really love carbs, bread in particular, though, since they ever-so-sweetly refer to a loved one as a “breadcrumb.”
9. Tamago Gata Kao
Photo courtesy of scrappindanielle.blogspot.com
A Japanese man will commonly call a woman he finds beautiful an “egg with eyes.” If I could give this term of endearment a gold star, I would not only give it one, but I would give it five. This is a solid 10/10.
10. Buah Hatiku
Photo courtesy of livelovefruit.com
Picture this: a wooden basket filled with the most aesthetically pleasing, brightly-colored fruit you’ve ever seen. Now imagine yourself representing this fruit in someone’s heart. Indonesians capture the essence of beauty and affection through their term “fruit of my heart.”
You’re welcome. Now you have not one, but ten different avenues you can choose to take when deciding on the perfect pet name for your significant other and/or someone you love/want to love/want to impress/want to take on date #2. If one of these terms of endearment doesn’t work for you, then that’s when you know your partner is heartless.
