Sentence:  Pleasure , fame and fortune , drowning your troubles with a drink , and `` living it up '' with the gang <WSD>are</WSD> like candy bars when you 're hungry : they may ease your hunger temporarily , but they 'll never take the place of a satisfying , mouth-watering steak . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)