The Berkeley Hippie and People's Park

It's not like Berkeley and San Francisco are that much different. In both places you have every kind of person out there ... so diverse and so beautiful, yet my friends in San Francisco insist that I am "Sooo Berkeley!" They always reinforce this by calling me a hippie, labeling me "Berkeley", and insisting that I take a shower ... Who needs showers anyway? I take pride in my Berkeley roots, as I'm from here (and Palestine, of course) born, raised, and now as a scholar. They perpetually label me and even introduce me to new people as a Berkeley hippie! Come on guys ... that's so unfair. (I don't really mind this label, but sometimes they take it to extremes!) I don't have dread locks, I'm not sleeping in the trees (though I support the people sleeping there's cause and give them food or beanies, blankets, etc. when I can), and I do make it to the shower every so often. I'm not saying all hippies are what I just described, but that is the common stereotype.
So yesterday at this event I was a part of planning, we had an excess of food left over and didn't know what to do with it. I said load me up, let's give it to homeless people. I'll leave it in People's Park. They, not knowing much of Berkeley, asked me what People's Park was. People's Park is a park built by and for the people and lits of homeless people reside there and the non-homeless of Berkeley always drop off free food there. So, I went to People's Park carrying trays of food. The homeless people I walked by were talking to me, "Good Morning," "How are you," and other things of this sort. Someone asked if that was free food, and I said "YES! Free Food!" As soon as I set the food on the picnic table, I see this flock of socializing homeless people briskly making their way toward me. I smiled and left before I was trapped in a mob of homeless people. I felt bad that some of the food was soggy due to the rain falling on the bed of my truck where I stored the food on the drive back to Berkeley and People's Park. I was happy that at least the food got there right though. They seemed to appreciate it. Besides, you know what they say ... beggars can't be choosers!