We all know food is an important part of life- even the Bible starts with the forbidden fruit. Scripture mentions many different kinds of food and even recipes! In Israel, the fruits and vegetables are magnificent. It's all grown locally of course and picked when it's ripe. So a tomato here is red, juicy and tasty. Cucumbers are crunchy - not waxy tasting like they are in other countries. We eat tons of "Israeli" salad here - finely diced tomatoes, cucumbers, some green mint since as parsley, mint, a little purple onion. Even for breakfast! The dressing is usually olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice. There are citrus trees everywhere and I usually pick the lemons in my garden.My friends and I usually buy 20 liter canisters of olive oil at the beginning of the "season" from local producers - both Arab and Jewish.

Since I live in a suburb of Tel Aviv, my garden is tiny. But we managed to squeeze in quite a few fruit trees - mango, macadamia nut, lemon, orange, apple and something we call "chesek". I've been told that it's a Chinese apricot. I'm not sure what it is but it is delicious. Unfortunately, the fruit is ripe for picking for only about 3 weeks. Then the birds get to what we can't reach, the rotten fruit falls to the ground, and it's a bit of a mess. But worth it!

And pomegrantes, fresh figs and grapes are so plentiful that we use them in everyday cooking (in salads, chicken dishes and desserts).

I could write on and on about f

My husband just had open heart surgery a month ago here in one of Israel's world-class hospitals. We researched going abroad for the procedure and realized that we had the best care available here in our own backyard. The doctors ( who were experts in their field) were brilliant and the procedure was very successful.  The facility was like a 5-star hotel with a grand piano and espresso bar in the lobby!
I was surprised to find many "tourists" in the hospital who came to Israel for plastic surgery, gastro procedures and other operations which cost a fraction of what they would cost in the USA. I met one family who went touring while "Mom" was recovering from a nose job! They all seemed very pleased with their choice. And their surgeon was a top specialist from NY who moved to Israel a few years ago. Needless to say, the whole family enjoyed a wonderful vacation and they had the procedure done for a lot less than it would have cost them at hom.

I was wondering if anyone else ever considered coming to Israel for a medical procedure. If so, what type? And what information would be useful to get?

(I'm asking because my friend was the NY surgeon who moved here. He would like to know if there is an interest in "medical" tourism)