Desi Satire: Indian-Americans Flock To The Doctor’s Office
Indian-Americans in Georgia have been visiting the doctor in large numbers since the cricket World Cup began in mid-March, an informal survey of employers shows.
"Three of my employees couldn't come to work yesterday," said Danny Ruppelsburger, president of a high-tech firm. "They all told me they needed to go to the doctor's office."
In an unrelated move, a popular Atlanta sports bar, which is showing the World Cup games, has changed its name to "Doctor's Office."
Rob Casper, owner of the former Primetime sports bar, denied that he was trying to make it easier for his customers to tell a lie. "We are actually trying to help them be more honest," he said. "Now they don't have to make up a story about coming here."
Asked if it was legal for him to call his sports bar a "doctor's office," Casper said, "Of course, it's legal. If we have a few dozen Indian-Americans here, there's bound to be a doctor in the bunch."
He added that many of his customers consider beer "a form of medicine – it makes them feel better."
While many Indian-Americans have called in sick during India's matches, some have eventually needed to visit the doctor's office.
"Watching cricket, especially the World Cup, is very stressful," said Dr. Rajiv Desai, a family physician. "I've had to treat several Indians for high blood pressure. I also treated one of them for a broken finger. He had punched his TV in frustration."
The informal survey of employers found that Indian-Americans had called off work for non-medical reasons too. Some had transportation problems, others had to attend funerals, and a few had jury duty. One man told his boss that he couldn't come to work because a meteorite had fallen on his car.
"I feel really bad for him," the boss said. "A couple of weeks ago, he had a serious illness, then one of his relatives died, and now it's a meteorite. What a rough month it's been for him."
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