beware the tomato

I went to the store last week. I bought a nice red round tomato.

Just one, because they were a little expensive. I brought it home anticipating what I would use it for; perhaps in a salad? maybe in a burrito? ah, on a hamburger would be great. Hamburgers are really so much better with a good tomato on it.

Alas, yesterday I looked at my tomato and realized it was going bad. This would have been almost tragic except that I had just read that there is a salmonella outbreak in nine states, mine being one of them, and they think it's related to tomatoes.

And so I was relieved to have a visible reason to toss it out, saved from having to decide whether or not my tomato may be carrying that nasty disease, whether the promise of a good hamburger was worth the threat of dangerous illness.

Farewell tomato.