Why is it that everyone brings melons when they are visiting a character in the hospital?

Question

So I was reading in FMA recently and noticed that the Führer President King Bradley brings a melon with him when he comes and sees Edward in the hospital. I have noticed this in several other animes and mangas and was wondering what the origin of the trope is.

Answer 1

The origin of this is actually in real life.

In Japan, melons are considered to be a rather expensive fruit, and after often given as gifts, specifically when visiting someone in a hospital. I'm not really sure how this particular notion was started, just that it is a common thing nowadays.

In fact, here is a 21,000-yen (~$210) melon:

It would seem that the anime and manga that feature this idea are simply drawing from this part of Japanese culture.