Arranged Dating

As an Indian woman in her early 30's, there is a constant pressure from parents and the community to get married--at any length.  Especially as my younger sister has recently gotten married, it seems the ante has been upped.  My dad--I think in half joking and half seriousness--advised me to "chase lots of boys" during my research year.

I've never been much of a chaser and recent experiences have pretty much turned me off to that.  So, enter the "Indian Parent Network."

Recently, a friend of my parents approached them about an eligible Indian man who was looking.  My parents immediately called me to broach the subject.  They could barely contain their excitement and glee. I, on the other hand, could barely contain my cynicism. 

The gentleman is a cardiologist and lives in the Western Time Zone.  (Strike one--long distance)  Supposedly he is very supportive of my career--already. (Strike two--really?  Really?  Does he even know what I do for a living?!)  He was so supportive, he was "willing to move anywhere."  (Strike three--sounds like desperation)  What kind of freakazoid could this be?

After some arguing, I finally relented to my parents' plea to give him my number.  They pulled out all the stops to convince me: you're getting OLD, the pool of men is getting low, this is a "golden opportunity" that won't come around again.

Literally, about twenty minutes after I got off the phone with my parents, I got a call from a number I didn't recognize.  See strike 3 above.  I never thought the guy would actually call THAT quickly, but he did!  For the next forty minutes, he proceeded with a soliloquy about himself.  Dudes, just so you know, that is a bad idea.  Girls want to know you are interested more than just yourself.  I don't know if he was just nervous, but I could not get a word in edgewise!

Needless to say, with each passing sentence in the forty minute, one-sided conversation, I realized we just weren't compatible.  Also, he was a good five years older than me, and I'm not sure he realized that he'd have to move to the Eastern Time Zone for three years while I complete my fellowship. 

But...this dude is persistent.  He now wants to come to the Eastern Time Zone to meet me.  I'm on the fence.  On the one hand, I feel like I'm watching a train wreck and can't look away.  On the other hand, do I just settle, accept this business arrangement because not much else is happening?