For local, every sandwich comes with a tale

If you've ever ordered Cloak and Dagger or a Charles Villager sandwich at Eddie's Supermarket on St. Paul Street, you've probably met Lucy, the bubbly deli worker behind the counter.

Lucy said she recalled the exact date when she got a job at Eddie's over three years ago.

"It was Aug. 8, the day Nixon resigned," Lucy said. "And I'm usually very aware of this day, but I was so happy about the job that I didn't remember the date until later."

A self-described "political junkie," Lucy returned to her hometown Baltimore after 30 years in the Midwest.

Like many other Charles Villagers, Lucy brings a fascinating life story to the neighborhood.

Wearing an Eddie's visor over her wiry curls, Lucy gesticulated, and frequently laughed, as she shared her experiences, ranging from art to catering to activism.

She said she always remembers political dates, such as August 8, because her father was a history buff and her mother was a scholar.

"It's probably in my genes," she said. Her father influenced Lucy's involvement in political action. He marched in Washington, D.C. with Martin Luther King Jr., and during the Vietnam War, he took his daughter with him for an anti-war lobby on the Hill.

"America's a great country, but you have to struggle to make it a real functioning democracy," Lucy said. "And this can be both frustrating and thrilling."

During the early 1980s Lucy participated in the Nuclear Freeze disarmament campaign, which aimed to stop the government from manufacturing and storing nuclear weapons.

Although she got her art degree in painting from a university in Minneapolis, Lucy went into the catering business after graduation.

"In those days in college, I was more interested in increasing my skills and critiquing art than thinking about getting a job."

Lucy's specialty is desserts, and especially "anything with chocolate." She said she made dessert for Al Gore when he was campaigning in Minnesota.

But her favorite job was as a photographer, taking pictures at wedding receptions and graduation parties.

These days, Lucy struggles to fit her art and political activities into her busy work schedule. "It's a tough world for a working person, that's what it boils down to," Lucy said. "But I believe that it's important to make an effort to keep your mind and your politics alive."

In response to events in the news, Lucy sometimes draws political cartoons, combining both her art background and passion for politics.

At Eddie's, Lucy said she is exposed to a variety of customers, some polite, others picky and abrasive. "You really have to account for people's stress levels," she said. "And it's really indicative of who you are by the way you treat the most humble workers."

"I believe that civilization rests on being civil," Lucy said as she took a sip from her snowman teacup, and straightened her scotch-taped glasses on her nose.

"You don't have to be everyone's friend, but you should be respectful. You meet people and you hope for the best in them."