Who can resist a taco? Not I. I think if I had just finished a big meal and someone placed a taco in front of me I'd have no choice but to eat it.

Okay. I'd have a choice. I’d choose to eat it.

Burritos, quesadillas and nachos are great too, with all those Mexican spices and ground beef, or pork, or chicken, and refried beans and melted cheese and whatever else you choose to put in them, but give me a taco or five with white corn crunchy tortilla shells any day of the week.

According to an article about tacos on Smithsonian.com, University of Minnesota history professor Jeffrey Pilcher cited Mexican silver miners as the likely inventors of the taco in the 18th century. He claimed Mexican Americans in the Southwest reinvented them, and they were introduced to many of us via the Taco Bell shell. The crunchy one. Pilcher came up with these theories after he traveled the globe eating tacos. Lucky him.

He states that the first time he noted a mention of tacos in the U.S. was in a newspaper in 1905 when Mexicans were starting to come into the country to work in mines and on railroads. There was a group of Mexican women with pushcarts selling Mexican street food in Los Angeles.

I have no idea when I had my first taco. I'm pretty sure I never had them growing up in Sanford. Pizza and the occasional Chinese food were about as adventuresome as we got in the Thayer household. Not that my mother wasn't adventuresome. We were probably one of the first families in Sanford to have fondue when that become popular in the ’60s. We'd get home after a day of skiing and have steak or cheese fondue. Best fondue ever.

Anyway, most tacos, around these parts anyway, are made with ground beef cooked with Mexican spices like chili powder, garlic and cumin. Make your own taco seasoning. Google it. It's simple and much better than that stuff in the package. Crunchy or soft corn or flour tortillas are used, and toppings include shredded iceburg lettuce (yes, iceburg — it's crunchy), diced tomatoes, shredded cheese, and salsa or some kind of spicy sauce. And you might even go crazy with some chopped onions and avocado. Sour cream is good too. Or Greek yogurt. I can't tell the difference.

At Mexican taco stands and restaurants these days you'll find a variety of different kinds of tacos. A popular one is the fish taco — preferably made with fried haddock.

Bet Finocchiaro, of Bet’s Fish Fry in Boothbay center, isn't a big fan of fish tacos. And who can blame her? Why bury a piece of the best fried haddock on the peninsula — some say this side of England — under spicy condiments and Mexican salsa?

But she said she does make fish tacos now and then for her “kids,” or employees. She fries up some fish and puts it in a crunchy deep fried flour tortilla, then tops it with coleslaw mixed with a mayonnaise and confectioner sugar dressing. “The best coleslaw on the planet,” she said. “And it's the best fish taco in the whole world.” She said she won't sell them — just makes 'em for the kids. “Those kids gobble them up like there's no tomorrow.”

She's not thrilled when people buy her fish to make tacos, so if that's your plan don't tell her. She can be a little scary.

I actually stopped by once for that very reason. I didn't tell her my plan. And as it turned out, by the time I got home, after smelling the fried haddock for 15 minutes, I poured a glass of wine, sat on the couch, and pigged out.

But seriously, have you ever seen the size of her fried haddock portions? You could easily get a dozen or 15 tacos out of one of them.

There's a new taco stand in Newcastle. It's only been open a few weeks, but it's already got a loyal fan base. The owners, Sara McKenzie and Michael Castillo, know their tacos. He's from South Central Los Angeles. His parents are both from Mexico. Want an authentic Mexican street food style taco? Go to ¡Que Rico!

Some of my coworkers and their now fiancés/husbands used to have a Taco Tuesday night. They invited me the first few times, but I never went. Most are in their late 20s or early 30s, and I'm old. I don't like being out late on a work night. I have a hard time saying that because people make fun of me, so I make up excuses. They started sending group texts before a Taco Tuesday, and one of them would say something like, “Suzi won't be able to come. She has an appointment for a manicure for her dog.” Or “Suzi can't make it. She's going to be getting her eyebrows waxed.” The first time was funny.

Anyway I got tired of them making fun of me so I had a taco Tuesday at my house. We had a choice of beef or fish tacos. Seven people —  I'm always the seventh wheel in that group. There were platters full of food — soft and crunchy tortillas, fried fish, spiced beef, diced tomatoes and avocados, shredded lettuce, shredded cheese — you name it. I’ve been making a sour cream avocado mixture too — with lime juice, cumin and cilantro. And roasted corn. I always hope for leftovers after a spread like that. I'm cheap, remember? There were none. No wine or beer left over either.

And no leftover chocolate bread pudding with hard sauce. That would have been good with coffee the next morning. Bummer.

FYI: Herringbones, in Boothbay Harbor, has a Monday night taco night. I hear they’re wicked good. And cheap. A buck a taco!.

And if any Mexican silver miners out there are reading this, thank you.

I’m not a chef. I lay no claim to being an authority on food or cooking. I’m a good cook, and a lover of good food. And I know how to spell and put a sentence together. This column is simply meant to be fun, and hopefully inspiring. So to anyone reading this whose hackles are raised because you know more about the subject of food than I, relax. I believe you. Now have at it, Margaret!