In her latest Lunch Money column, Lena Geller visited a Durham mainstay, Cosmic Cantina, and mused on the makings of a satisfying burrito and the role nostalgia plays in shaping what foods we love. Readers had very strong opinions on the column (part of an ongoing series on trying to dine out locally for under $15) and the restaurant.

From reader Brian Vaughn by email:

The Cosmic column deserves celebration for its obsession with nostalgia. Climbing on roofs, rolling through late nights after revelry (or a Red Eye to Raleigh), and debates in the student paper become immediately relatable when the words “Veggie Deluxe” are uttered. At one point, the author posits “I’m more worried that my sentimentality is going to undermine my ravings about the food.” And yet with Cosmic, the sentimentality is the point. How could you not be sentimental about a place that transcends phases of life, and is so utterly consistent?

RE: Disdainful comparison of other burritos, I have and will forever compare every burrito I eat to the Chapel Hill Cosmic’s red mole veggie burrito, which sustained and delighted me for years.

You may have convinced me to skip Moe Monday’s and head for 9th Street for lunch today.

From reader Randy Reed by email:

I very much enjoyed most of Lena Geller’s musings about our local fantastic Cosmic Cantina but leaving out any mention of the wondrously explosive green jalapeño sauce was a bit like writing about the Chelsea Cinema and not mentioning their small screens.

From Reddit user These-Tonight-1672:

Cosmic is ass – use to be ok if you needed a mountain of food for 10 bucks but I’d rather just eat cans of beans honestly

An excerpt from Reddit user Miamicutlerridge305:

It has to be pure nostalgia. Tons of better options price, quality and taste wise … Go down 9th Street, make a right on Club, and once you get to Roxboro you’ll have plenty of better options. Super Taqueria, El Huarache, Guanajuato, La Superior which is the best imo 

From reader Keenan Jenkins by email:

May blessings rain down upon Lena Geller and her entire bloodline for this article about Cosmic, which perfectly captures its essence — nostalgic but still as delicious as ever. 

“…every element spread so evenly that they all turn up in the same mouthful…” — so true and well written!! 

Additional blessings for mentioning Ox & Rabbit, whose old chalkboard milkshake menu I have owned since they closed in 2014. It has been hung up in every apartment and house I’ve had since then! I’ll forever miss their lavender vanilla milkshakes. 

The planned route for Western Wake Bus Rapid Transit—which will connect Raleigh to RTP—will circumvent the town of Morrisville, Chloe Courtney Bohl reported online earlier this month. Disappointed town officials plan to send a letter to the regional transit planning authority but aren’t standing in the way of the project. One reader wrote in urging the town to plan for housing and transit around the route now.

From reader Chris Perelstein by email:

I was excited to read Chloe Courtney Bohl’s article and see Morrisville’s Town Council wrestling seriously with how Western Wake BRT will serve its residents.

Their concern is fair. The planned route misses many of Morrisville’s core residential areas, even though Morrisville is the Triangle’s densest municipality by 2020 Census population density. Density is not enough by itself, but it is the foundation that makes frequent transit, especially BRT or rail, more viable.

The most important part of this debate may be the timeline. BRT is not expected to reach downtown Cary until 2030, and the extension through Morrisville is planned for 2035, assuming no delays. That gives Morrisville something valuable: time to plan around transit before it arrives.

The town already has good ideas in its transit-oriented development rules, including buildings closer to the street, parking to the side or rear, mixed uses, and better pedestrian connections. Morrisville also allows many missing middle forms in parts of town. Around future stations, it can build on that progress by allowing more duplexes, townhomes, cottage courts, and other compact housing with small setbacks and less land devoted to parking.

Durham offers useful examples. Expanding Housing Choices broadened small-scale housing options, with its duplex reforms receiving clear majority support in public outreach. Simplifying Codes for Affordable Development reduced setbacks and expanded small lot possibilities. Durham also eliminated parking minimums before North Carolina moved to restrict them statewide.

Morrisville can pair those land use changes with planning for how people will actually reach BRT. It can reserve space now for stations, greenways, sidewalks, safe crossings, and direct bike and pedestrian connections before redevelopment makes those connections expensive or impossible.

A successful BRT corridor needs more than buses. Transit works best when the origins and destinations it connects are built for people, and when people can safely reach them without a car.