
LOUISE: It’s just a contest, Paris. It’s not like you get a car or a lifetime supply of Rice a Roni.
MADELINE: God, I love that stuff.
A boxed food mix containing rice, vermicelli pasta, and seasonings. It’s prepared by browning it in butter, then adding water and simmering until cooked, so you end up with something a bit like pilaf. It’s made by Quaker Oats, a subsidiary of PepsiCo.
It was invented by Vince DeDomenico in 1958, inspired by a home recipe of his sister-in-law Lois, who had received it from an Armenian immigrant friend named Pailadzo Captanian. Originally called The San Francisco Treat, and later Pasta Roni, it was bought by Quaker Oats in 1986.