What does "a nice wee jug of gravy" communicate to you?

[Le Baron]

I think "wee" is used ironically - there will be served a LOT of gravy! And!"wee" in itself is not cosy, but some people might find eating tradtional Scots fodder with lots of gravy from a flowerclad jug cosy and comforting.

It really can't see how it is meant to be ironic. 'Wee' is definitely used in a koselig manner, as 'nice little'.

[smallwhite]

The dinner in the middle of the table, the organic vegetables cooked in lemon grass and coconut oil, sat between them, a bright, colourful wok of strange ingredients as far as Physics was concerned. If Physics had her way, she would have a roast lamb, two veg and mashed potatoes and a nice wee jug of gravy.

When I read this excerpt, I felt that the food on the table was exotic to Physics, and she would rather have familar food. "Nice wee jug of gravy" is likely a cultural reference to convey familiarity, similar to "my morning cuppa", and a similar phrase would be "mashed potatoes and good ol' Heinz ketchup" or whatever it is that every household has in the pantry / how everyone eats their roast lamb. The sentences that followed were:

[Physics] ate all these unfamiliar; oddly upsetting, foods out of love. Her very palette had transformed since Chemistry's culinary habits had turned foreign a few years back. Chemistry always wanted to do things differently. Physics had to be forced to change.

[jeff_lindqvist]

But indeed it's also a sort of diminutive in the same way you'd say 'a nice little earner' even if the money you're making from your enterprise is fairly substantial.

An English teacher once showed us the two-volume set of SOED, held up one of them and said:
- To use a British understatement - a book of some length.

[Mista]

Judging from some of the comments so far, I should probably have written a bit more about the context. There is no doubt, from the story as a whole, that Chemistry's culinary tastes are considered a bit exotic (too exotic, even), both by Physics and by their friends. There's a traditional/conservative baseline in it that also manifests itself in other (and essential) ways. Toward the end of the story, they are fired from the school they work at because there are rumors that they are lesbians - this is the word used by the headmaster in that particular context, and it is the first (and only, I think) time it appears in the whole text. It is clear that Physics and Chemistry never use it, and that they generally try to keep the nature of the relationship secret even to themselves. I mention this here because it is also reflected in the language in a more general way. It is said of Physics early on that "she stayed unlit and and dangerous as one of Chemistry's experiments, the potential to blow up, to turn suddenly pink, to sparkle and spit, never far from her surface." I think this would be a very good characterization of the narrative style too. It's generally very toned down and very standard and doesn't make much of itself - except when it does. It's like something is bubbling just under the surface and suddenly surfaces here and there. This gives the text a slightly ironic feel to it, and it makes the reader look for significance whenever something unusual shows up. I'd say that the use of "wee" is marked here and that it has to be given a significance that goes beyond the meaning of a more neutral word like "small" (whether the jug is literally small or not), but I don't necessarily mean to suggest that it has to go beyond the interpretations that have already been offered here.

Let me also use this opportunity to thank everyone who has shared their insights and opinions so far. It has been very interesting, and I would be happy to read even more. This is to a large degree a matter of interpretation, so I'm not necessarily looking for a "correct" answer.

Another question, in case somebody who knows their way around Glasgow should drop by: we get a very detailed location for their home, which is "a Wimpey house, in Gleneagles Gardens, off the main Kirkintilloch Road, not too far from Bishopbriggs High School, where they both taught." I assume this kind of detail must be incuded for a reason. What does it suggest?

[Le Baron]

Well I think folk might be reading far too much into that particular sentence, because people use 'wee' like that all the time in Scotland (and Ireland) and the border areas. The word 'nice often isn't even necessary, but implied in tone.

and that they generally try to keep the nature of the relationship secret even to themselves.

This bit puzzled me. Are they keeping it a secret from themselves, because that seems impossible to me? When I see "even to themselves" it implies they also don't know. Or do you mean they just keep it to themselves?

[Mista]

Well I think folk might be reading far too much into that particular sentence, because people use 'wee' like that all the time in Scotland (and Ireland) and the border areas. The word 'nice often isn't even necessary, but implied in tone.

and that they generally try to keep the nature of the relationship secret even to themselves.

This bit puzzled me. Are they keeping it a secret from themselves, because that seems impossible to me? When I see "even to themselves" it implies they also don't know. Or do you mean they just keep it to themselves?

Strictly speaking, you are of course right, it's not really possible - but they can try. Let me illustrate with another quote from the text, which comes immediately after a sex scene:

They never discussed these nights. Not a word. Not a single word was spoken or ever had been spoken about such nights. Physics had never ever said the dreaded word out loud for fear of it. The word itself spread terror within her.

When I said that "wee" is marked, I didn't mean to suggest that there's anything particularly unusual about it, except that it's oral rather than literary.

[gsbod]

For me, the use of the word "wee" helps to emphasise that the meal is simple fare: cosy, comforting, I guess somewhat conservative. But as a Brit, my initial, visceral reaction at the description of the roast lamb and its simple accompaniments was "yum!".

Another question, in case somebody who knows their way around Glasgow should drop by: we get a very detailed location for their home, which is "a Wimpey house, in Gleneagles Gardens, off the main Kirkintilloch Road, not too far from Bishopbriggs High School, where they both taught." I assume this kind of detail must be incuded for a reason. What does it suggest?

I don't know Glasgow, however I would say there are signifiers of social class here. George Wimpey was a major volume house builder in the UK in the 20th century, especially postwar. The implication being that they live on a private housing estate rather than council housing. (Edit: I'm assuming from what's been said that the story is set in the 20th century, if it were more contemporary I would say that the class implications would be less strong on this one).

[Mista]

(Edit: I'm assuming from what's been said that the story is set in the 20th century, if it were more contemporary I would say that the class implications would be less strong on this one).

The story was published in 2002, and they are in the habit of watching Frost, Morse, The Street and Panorama on TV. Morse is the only one I know of these TV shows, but based on that and the publishing date of the story, I'd say we are in the 90s.