I ate some rice-a-roni a few months ago at my fathers house. It had a best before date of december 04.....still alive.
I also ate some organic soup in a cup, couscous and lentil or something like that...best before date, Feb 2003...
The cardboard cup had more flavor, but I didn't die. Dried foods are pretty safe...assuming they are not roach infested lol.
If you want to know something really gross, I ate a tuna sandwich a couple months back made with mayonnaise almost a year past the best by date. It was freshly opened at the time, and the smell was a bit off...not sour, just off. Tasted like a cold steel spoon, but once again...I didn't die.
My father really needs to clean out his pantry lol.