Raw red round tomatoes

There's a new salmonella scare - tomatoes. Only a few states have been affected so far, and for most people eating the wrong tomatoes will prove extremely uncomfortable but not fatal.

But at this point only certain tomatoes have been implicated. You want to avoid them no matter where you live. The trouble is that there just isn't any way to determine which tomato is a bad one. The little bitty tomatoes seem to be fine. If the tomato is connected to a vine, it should be all right to eat. And if you grow your own tomatoes at home, you're good to go.

But by all means avoid raw, round, red tomatoes!

What? Aren't most tomatoes raw, round and red?

I'm beginning to understand why some chains, like McDonalds and Subway, have discontinued serving any tomatoes. There doesn't seem to be any way to determine which tomatoes are going to make customers violently ill, and which are going to add to their dining experience.

But, let's face it; a salad without a tomato isn't really a salad.