Photo: Courtesy of The Wildest Bachelorette Party.
Gay activists in Italy are urging pasta aficionados to boycott Barilla after the company's chairman made a homophobic comment. According to Guido Barilla, he will only portray the "classic family" in his brand's advertisements. "For us the concept of the sacred family remains one of the basic values of the company. I would not do it, but not out of a lack of respect for homosexuals who have the right to do what they want without bothering others," Barilla told an Italian radio station. "I don't see things like they do and I think the family that we speak to is a classic family." This "classic family" ideal he stresses is the central role of the woman in the kitchen. Barilla tried to cover up his statement by saying this: "I simply wanted to highlight the central role of the woman in the family.” Hmm Mr. Barilla, this doesn't seem like much of an apology. If people are offended by what he's saying, he urges them to eat another pasta.
Well, Mr. Barilla, we see your statement and raise you a king-sized penis pasta. You see, the pastabilities here are endless. Barilla might be at the top of the popularity charts, but, like many of us, started at the bottom. We'll gladly start consuming our less-mainstream spagaytti with our artisan grated-Parmesan cheese and home-grown grilled zucchini. Maybe we'll throw together a meal of De Cecco's penne noodles; hell, let's go crazy and mix it with some of Ronzoni's penne, just for kicks and giggles. We'll flip-flop between other brands, maybe even grind out our own with our new KitchenAid.
Just because Mr. Barilla refuses to show a homosexual couple consuming a delicious meal of cooked noodles, won't stop us from finding our carb intake elsewhere (even if we have to put in extra hours at the gym). Because, Mr. Barilla, like any other pasta, Barilla is straight until it's in hot water. Then it's, well, not. (The Guardian)