In what is believed to be the very first ever gay-friendly commercial in Italian history, Findus, maker of frozen, microwavable pasta products, combines delicious surprise pasta with a surprise of a different sort.
The ad is really simple, adorable and relatable. No faces are shown, just hands. The commercial centers around a man named Luca who is preparing some Findus pasta for his mother and his “roommate,” Gianni. Luca tells his mother that he has some surprises for her. She assumes the surprise is that such delicious pasta can be made in the microwave.
Pasta in the microwave? Now that is definitely a surprise.
Gianni remarks that Luca told him it was mom’s favorite dish, but Luca says that there is something more to talk about than pasta. He then explains that Gianni isn’t his roommate, but rather his boyfriend. Mom doesn’t even miss a beat.
I already knew.
The decision by Findus is especially interesting because its competitor, Barilla, got into some hot water (YES, THAT WAS A PASTA PUN) over comments made by its chairman refusing to consider LGBT individuals in its ad campaigns and essentially telling LGBT people to buy something else if they didn’t like it. Since then, the company has walked back its chairman’s position and claimed to be working on a more inclusive ad campaign.
Barilla is arguably the most common pasta brand in the Japanese market, at least from what I’ve seen, and is rather inexpensive. I still don’t buy it. Maybe Findus will consider expanding into East Asia?
Watch the video with subtitles courtesy of TIME.
Image via Shutterstock/Video via TIME.