SEASONHOOD JOURNAL NO.4 WHO GETS TO BE TIMELESS
Who Gets to be Timeless.
By Chef Christopher Callender
December 14th 2025
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There was a time when authenticity felt like enough.
I was praised for being rooted, for honoring where I come from, for carrying culture with care. That praise came after stillness — after reflection — after I stopped performing and started listening to my purpose.
But something changed the moment innovation entered the room.
The questions followed quickly.
Why change it?
Why push it?
Why not leave it as it is?
As if evolution is a betrayal instead of a responsibility.
With more than eight billion people in the world, I know I’m not the only one thinking outside the box. Originality doesn’t come from being alone in thought — it comes from execution. From spirit. From how an idea moves through a body shaped by history. Even when two people do the same thing, it will never be done the same way.
That truth should be obvious.
But it isn’t always welcomed
Permission Is Unevenly Distributed
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Older generations often struggle with new expressions of creativity — not out of malice, but attachment. What they once evolved into feels sacred because it was. When innovation appears without acknowledgment of the past, it can feel like disrespect.
And sometimes, it is.
We live in a time with endless access to information, but very little depth. Research has been replaced by shortcuts. People speak as pioneers without understanding the industries that made their work possible. Disrespect doesn’t come from innovation — it comes from forgetting.
Respect requires memory.
At the same time, familiarity has its own agenda.
People rarely box you in because they hate creativity. They do it because familiarity sells. Replication feels safer than imagination. It’s easier to market what people already recognize than to stand beside an artist who wants to build something new without abandoning the old.
Creativity and tradition are not enemies.
They are meant to coexist.
But that balance threatens systems built on predictability.
Comfortable Culture
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The world loves Jamaica — or at least the version of it that feels easy to consume.
The food.
The music.
The openness.
The honesty.
Jerk. Reggae. Vibes.
Jamaica is often treated as the most recognizable Caribbean culture, even though the region is vast and layered. What people love is the output — not always the origin. Consumption is mistaken for understanding.
And nowhere is that more visible than in food.
The Problem with “Fusion”
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When Jamaican flavor moves forward, it’s called fusion.
When others innovate, it’s called evolution.
Rasta Pasta is often treated like a novelty, when in truth it’s clarity. Italian cuisine is beautifully simple — grounded in technique, restraint, and balance. Jamaican spices don’t overpower it. They deepen it. Spices don’t harm. They heal. They add dimension. They tell stories.
Calling this collaboration “fusion” turns lineage into a moment.
It flattens intention into trend.
Anything with jerk in it is Jamaican. There is no workaround. That is not marketing — it’s fact. The culture existed long before recognition followed it.
And when cultural innovation becomes profitable, credit rarely goes to the people who carried it. It goes to those who control distribution, platforms, and narratives. The machine decides what is timeless — not the hands that built it.
Respect or Restriction
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“Respect” is often used as a leash.
When ideas feel too forward, the conversation shifts from creativity to preservation. Innovation is paused in the name of honoring roots.
But honoring roots feels warm.
Like a hug.
Restriction feels like rebellion.
Like chaos disguised as tradition.
Some traditions are protected because they serve the masses. Others are policed because they challenge comfort. Disruption unsettles people who prefer peace over truth — but discomfort has always been part of growth.
Culture that cannot move becomes brittle.
Who Is Allowed to Experiment
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Experimentation is praised or punished based on proximity to power.
If you have a reputation, you are bold.
If you are building one, you are risky.
The same action.
Different consequences.
Those with platforms are allowed to explore freely. Those without them are told to wait. Mistakes are forgiven only when they are made publicly, vulnerably, and with enough grace to entertain.
Failure without God can be devastating.
Failure with God is instruction.
Timelessness Is Not Neutral
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Some cultures are called timeless.
Classic. Elevated.
French. Japanese. Swiss.
Others are labeled ethnic.
Traditional. Rustic.
Caribbean. African. Latin American.
Timelessness grants access — to money, to space, to legacy. Some cultures are archived. Others are trapped. Not by formal education, but by access to knowledge. The informed move forward. The uninformed are told to stay still.
Many cultures don’t worry about being timeless. They simply are. But acceptance and access are not the same.
Innovation Without Apology
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If explanation weren’t required, I would build a way to speak directly to ancestors — to ask questions, to listen more carefully, to carry what they couldn’t finish.
I’m tired of defending that Jamaican food is global. It belongs in every region, every conversation, every kitchen. Culture doesn’t shrink when it travels — it expands.
Cook & Vybz is evolution, even if it hasn’t been fully recognized yet. It’s a new way of connecting to food — through rhythm, memory, and presence.
Jerk Reserve is authorship.
Not only of where the culture has been — but of where it’s going.
Generations, Institutions, and Power
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Elders adapt in their own ways. Some change is welcomed. Some is dismissed due to lack of access to information. Institutions don’t see culture the way communities do. They see margins. Markets. Opportunity.
Preservation and progression can exist in the same space. I don’t feel caught between them.
I do wish previous generations had been allowed to read more, to access more knowledge, to expand without restriction. That opportunity exists now — and it carries responsibility.
The Cost of Staying Frozen
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When culture is not allowed to grow, stories disappear. People leave. Relevance fades quietly. In a world that demands impact in seconds, stagnation is erasure.
When the next generation cannot see itself reflected, roots become invisible.
Authority
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Culture is often spoken for by popularity, not proximity. Credibility belongs to those who entertain best — not those who know most. Lived experience is questioned the moment you decide to build independently.
Reclaiming narrative authority feels like oxygen.
Closing
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My culture doesn’t need permission to evolve —because we are the evolution.
We are not frozen.
We are thawed.
Aware.
And ready for change.