A boycott of Barilla Pasta erupted after Guido Barilla, chairman of the "world's leading pasta manufacturer," made anti-gay remarks on Italian radio saying that his company would never use an LGBT family in its advertising.

America Blog's John Aravosis has the Radio 24 interview translation: "We won’t include gays in our ads, because we like the traditional family. If gays don’t like it, they can always eat another brand of pasta. Everyone is free to do what they want, provided it doesn’t bother anyone else."

Though, oddly enough, in favor of gay marriage, Barilla went on to admit that he opposed adoption by same-sex parents. He later explained in another interview, "the woman plays a central role in a family."

Italian gay group Equality Italia responded by slamming Barilla's statement as "offensive provocation" and then calling for a boycott of the company's pasta and sauces. "We accept the invitation from the Barilla owner to not eat his pasta," Equality Italia's Aurelio Mancuso said.

First of all, every good chef and home cook knows that the best dish is made with... love. Yes, love. And Mr. Barilla's statements regarding family do not seem terribly loving. We can't imagine the slew of gay parents we personally know taking his statements lightly.

And second, for those of you who plan on eschewing Barilla products, what dried pasta will you buy instead? To find out better options for you and your family, SFist asked Inside Scoop's editor Paolo Lucchesi, who is openly heterosexual and Italian, to tell us his favorites.

"I’m a big fan of Mattarello, which does sporadic pop-ups around town selling both fresh and dried pasta," Lucchesi explains. "Oakland’s Baia Pasta is another really good local option that’s available more readily at a lot of Bay Area shops and markets. Look how pretty."

De Cecco and Racconto are also good options.

[Chicagoist]
[Reuters]
[Atlantic]