Crippling financial hardship

[Soulstation1]

if you have NO credit card debt, you are not in that bad of shape

ss1

[AfricaBrass]

if you have NO credit card debt, you are not in that bad of shape

ss1

Big time! :tup

It also shows that you have a very good head on your shoulders. You can't put a price on that.

[Soulstation1]

i haven't used a credit card in 1 year

ss1

[Jazzmoose]

Maaaaaaaaaaan! I forgot!

Macaroni and cheese!!!

(how could I forget? )

Been there, but it was better than the month I lived off a box of pancake mix. Ever made pancakes without milk and eggs.

I remember a week of nothing rice-a-roni and bacon. Although to be honest, once in a while I get a craving for that odd meal...

[ejp626]

I remember a week of nothing rice-a-roni and bacon.  Although to be honest, once in a while I get a craving for that odd meal...

That's just cause you live in the Bay Area and they got you brainwashed into eating the stuff.

Here's the Straight Dope on this madness. I remember these ads vividly.

From Cecil's Mailbag by the Straight Dope Science Advisory Board

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Why is Rice-A-Roni called "The San Francisco Treat"?

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Dear Straight Dope:

Why is Rice-A-Roni the "San Francisco Treat"? I was recently in San Francisco, and this question popped into my mind. There is nothing about the rice product that makes me think of San Francisco; in fact the only treat that does is Ghiradelli chocolate, so please explain if you can, why Rice-A-Roni is "The San Francisco Treat"? --Kevin R. Houston TX

SDSTAFF Dogster replies:

I'd like to tell you there's an amazing story behind the legend of Rice-a-Roni's slogan, my friend. A tale of adventure, of deception, betrayal, redemption, folly, love, and victory! But, alas, I can't, not really. It's a case of location, location, location. San Francisco, specifically the Mission District, happens to be where the original family-owned pasta company that created Rice-A-Roni had set up shop. I give you this from the Official Rice-A-Roni website (www.ricearoni.com):

"The DeDomenico family all enjoyed an old Armenian dish consisting of rice, vermicelli pasta and chicken broth. The rice and pasta were sauteed in butter before the liquid was added, giving the dish its distinctive taste.

"In 1958, Vince DeDomenico decided to take this recipe and produce it for sale in grocery stores. He placed the rice and pasta in a box, and added a dry seasoning mix in place of the liquid chicken broth. Because this product was made up of half rice and half pasta, he decided to call it RICE-A-RONI®.

"Chicken RICE-A-RONI was first introduced in the Northwestern states in 1958. With it came the first RICE-A-RONI commercial, featuring San Francisco's Cable Cars and the now famous jingle. Created in San Francisco, RICE-A-RONI would soon be known to all as "The San Francisco Treat®!"

"The RICE-A-RONI jingle, The San Francisco Treat® slogan, "Saute and Simmer" and scenic San Francisco became familiar to every household in America in the 60's as the product was introduced through television advertising."

Pretty cut and dried. Now, should I hang around my mailbox waiting for a check from the Golden Grain Company's PR department? Probably not.

SDSTAFF "The Edgewater Treat" Dogster

Straight Dope Science Advisory Board

[The Groper]

1) Don't panic.

2) Don't move back in with your parents.

3) Don't quit your job until you've got a better one lined up.

4) Borrowing money is an unfortunate fact of life.

You're in pretty good shape until a real catastrophe arrives. Youth is strength.