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I just lost my whole answer because I checked definitions on Google tool-bar

Not quite sure when but Great Britain colonized the northern part of the territory in the 20th century probably for strategic reasons. Italy colonized the southern part. There's an article on Wikipedia that gives a good account of the history.

The heating element requires more power then the 13 amp plug can deliver safely. The heat is a symptom of a loading on the plug(& maybe the lead or any of the connections) higher than it can deliver leading to resistance. Sometimes this is due to corrosion within the plug often caused by a high humidity environment (such as an airing cupboard). If you understand how to re-wire a plug, (otherwise call an electrician), you could try taking off the plug, snipping a small amount of cable and reconnecting it. A small amount of an anti-corrosion spray (Such as WD40) sprayed onto the contacts and fuse housing should help this from re-occurring. Tip: Copper contacts go green when they corrode therefore inspect carefully for this dis-colouration. If after doing this the problem persists then it is overload causing this and then you really need to call an electrician as DIY on higher loadings could invalidate your building insurance in the event of a fire! Don't do it if you don't have the paperwork & the knowledge!

Small towels dunked in hot water with a little lemon juice, wrung out to wipe your face with after a meal are great and make paper napkins seem rather silly.

The most unusual usage I've ever heard of is in Douglas Adam's "Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy". Apparently, they were essential for hitchhiking on spaceships. A very funny and well written book although alas, Fiction!

Real life usage: If you are camping and have to wash up in a bucket of water then a towel can be laid on the ground to act as a draining board for the dishes Etc. It also keeps them out of the mud that will always develope if you put wet implements that are draining on the ground. Take a Microfibre cloth to wipe them with before using the tea towel. This helps to keep the towels relatively dry as damp cloth is a camping hazard.

Funrunna is right. You have to cook some things to make them digestible and palatable. If you overcook some veggies they lose their nutrition into the water. Stews are cooked for a long time to make them "blend" together.

My Mum was a serial veg murderer and now I always steam veggies and try to get them "el dente" (slightly undercooked). Potatoes can only be done el dente if they are new potatoes. A good tip for this is to boil them until underdone and then drain them and stuff a clean tea-towel over them. This causes them to do the final bit with their own steam. (much better for salad potatoes to be served cold).

Jacket potatoes need more cooking as they are usually "old" or stored potatoes.