L’Omelette géante

This weekend was full of festivities. Noumea hosted its own carnival. It entailed a long parade with a variety of dancing and some very subdued observers. It was really nothing to write home about, so I shall move.

The more interesting event was the Omelette Géante hosted by the local town of Dumbea. It is about a 20 minute drive from Noumea. Where literally they crack over 7,000 eggs, cut up enormous loaves of bread, and make giant scrambled eggs in a frying pan made to size. The whole thing was a bit ridiculous, and the French people I have asked have not been able to give a history of where in France this comes from. I do know that this tradition was brought to Dumbea thanks to Bernard Beilles in 1983. The proportions of the ingredients are so large they use drills to beat the eggs, the spatulas were over 10 feet long, and the pan itself must have been 5 meters in diameter and necessitated a crane to move it. One has to love the hats and the attire of the cooking staff. The French take their gastronomie very seriously, and even outdoor antics require the proper attire.

Here are a few pictures from the festivities.




Aside the from the giant omelet the carnival hosted all the usual carnival aspects of bumper cars, cotton candy, games for kids, and music. We got to see some nice Polynesian dancing (the best since we left Polynesia). This is because New Caledonia is very diverse and has a large representation from populations throughout the Pacific and the world. This was followed by a torturous unending representation of how mediocre music can be. It was a Polynesian female singer with a keyboardist who didn’t so much play but destroy the prefabricated sounds from the synthesizer. I don’t know if it was to serve as a foil for the final act or make her feel important. The best part was magic System. They are a group from Ivory Coast. They had a top 10 hit in France in 2002. It was a wonderful performance (something sorely lacking here). The show was a pleasant change to see everyone singing and dancing along. The final song had kids come up on stage and dance with them. They made sure to have black, white, and pacific islanders all represented and it was great to see all the kids dance as they had been taught from there own cultures.