Taking the Kids: Meeting the locals in Jamaica

"More sweet potato pudding?" Doris Morgan asks. We're having lunch at her Montego Bay home -- local specialties like Bammy, made from ground cassava that's fried, roasted breadfruit, pumpkin bread, star apple fruit and my favorite, the sweet potato pudding.

But before lunch, we'd never met Mrs. Morgan, her husband Clayton, daughter Nneka, who was visiting from Florida, or her nephew Michel Hemmings.

We were brought together by a volunteer program called Meet the People, which has been bringing tourists and locals together for more than 50 years over a shared interest -- in our case, cooking and food. Did I mention the program is free? The volunteers will even come and pick you up.

"You have beaches and sunshine many places," says Granville Morgan, 29, who has been put in charge of growing this program. "What makes Jamaica unique is the people. This gives visitors the opportunity to see Jamaica a different way."

On a recent trip, I realized there were many ways to accomplish that goal -- learning about the lives of the staff that took care of us at the villa where we stayed, one of 100 managed by Villas by Linda Smith. (More about that in another column.)

We took a walking tour in the historic port of Falmouth, stopping in to meet a local baker and fruit vendor, sipping coconut water from big coconuts and trying Jamaica's most popular fast food -- pattys (spiced meat inside a fried pastry served on soft bread).

Later in the week, we floated down a river at River Bumpkin Farm, located just 20 miles from Montego Bay. It's owned by the same family that owns Sandals. Once one of Jamaica's richest sugar plantations, today it is a 59-acre farm where everything from pumpkin to coconut to carrots are grown, supplying Sandals resorts.

"When I was younger we used to come to this same location, swim, eat, drink and just enjoy the outdoors, so it's been a long time dream to have somewhere in Jamaica that guests can come to experience this unique way of life," said Adam Stewart, CEO of Sandals and Island Routes Caribbean Adventure, which runs the farm. "Personally, I love the beach and fishing, but there's something very special to be said for the relaxed country lifestyle that exists here."

As we float down the river on tubes and inflatable kayaks, we see all kinds of trees -- 85-foot high bamboo, banana, breadfruit -- a great place to help kids appreciate where the food on their plates in Jamaica comes from , as well as the history of Jamaica back when the economy depended on slavery. (Read more about my Jamaica adventures in my trip diaries at www.takingthekids.com At the end of our hour on the river, we're treated to a foot massage with soft limestone on the river and then served coconut water with a straw fashioned from bamboo, jerk chicken and pumpkin soup from pumpkins picked that morning. Fun!

You might learn to make jerk chicken or pumpkin soup with Meet the People, Granville Morgan said. Or you might go to a recording studio, meet a Reggae musician or visit a school or church.

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