Instructions: Confession time: When I visit my hometown - away from the bright lights and culinary delights of Wichita - I hook up with ol school buddies. and at the end of the night, its not fancy food we crave. Its a Jack in the Box taco. Or three.

) From the time my friends and I could drive, pulling through Jack in the Box for a bagful of these gloriously greasy packets of meat, cheese and mildly tangy sauce was a frequent end to a night out.

Their preparation is unique: Instead of simply filling a pre-cooked shell, Jack in the Box workers drop the tortilla and its filling into the hot grease all at once (lettuce, sauce and a half-slice of American cheese are added later).

The result is a taco thats crisp around the edges and mushy in the middle.

Dont ask me why thats so good.

What got me thinking about all this was a news release from Jack in the Boxs San Diego headquarters.

"One of lifes mysterious pleasures," it was headlined:

"Everything youve always wanted to know about the Jack in the Box taco - but were afraid to ask."

According to the company, it sold 315 million tacos last year, most of them to men between the ages of 18 and 34.

The tacos, noted the release, have "a reputation for curing whatever ails you, especially after an overindulgent night on the town." Sounds about right.

Some other Jacktoids:
St. Louis, San Diego, Phoenix and Texas are the top markets for the tacos.

The taco recipe hasnt been altered since its creation in the 1950s. and the tacos are so popular (especially at two for 99 cents, the price since 1995) that Jack in the Box rarely advertises them outside its restaurants.

Jack in the Box grinds its own beef (another youthful illusion shattered) and cooks it in a spice mixture. A machine fills and folds the tacos, which are then flash-frozen for shipment to the restaurants.

Sadly for some, unbelievably, but I did find this recipe for a

"look-alike" Jack in the Box taco on a Web site: SOAR (the Searchable Online Archives of Recipes). Its pretty good.

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