Both ways can work. Looking up words, and trying to guess the meaning from context. I use both, depending on my mood and the situation.

I like trying to guess the meaning because you have to think things through. That helps you remember the answer. Doesn’t matter if you got it right or wrong. It’s not always easy, but it gets better with practice.

You can usually look at the situation and narrow it down to a few possibilities. If my guess seems decent enough to get the gist, I keep going. Usually, you’ll find something that helps you figure out if you were right.

If I see a word several times, I usually look it up. Otherwise, it’s probably not that important (unless I happen to be curious).

And if I look up a word and forget it, no big deal. Happens all the time. I’ll either come across it again, or it wasn’t that important.

It can be slow going, no matter what option you choose. But if you keep at it, you can get to a point where you rarely have to look things up.

Here’s a link to the original song. The part the meme comes from starts around 0:45. It was a hit in 2004.

The ones that interest you the most will be easiest to stick with. I find things just through my general interests and poking around.

Favorite music genre? Listen to bands from different countries and see how they sound. TV shows, movies, and documentaries from other countries are another big one. Listen to the original language, see if it sounds interesting, maybe read a little about it.

Or maybe you know someone who you’d like to be able to talk with in their language. It could be anything. Pick one or two things to try and you’ll get a feel for what you like.

All your basic staples: salt, flour, oil, sugar, pasta, pasta, milk, eggs

It depends. Cheap salt is just fine. And flour, unless you’re into baking. But some things can make a difference and you don’t necessarily have to pay a lot more for it.

Pasta, for example. Bronze cut pasta absorbs sauce a lot better than “normal” pasta. It looks dull, rough, and pale as opposed to shiny and smooth. It usually only costs a buck or two more. I find it’s a big step up taste and texture-wise.

Or butter. The ones without natural flavor taste better. Sometimes it’s the store brand that doesn’t have added flavor.

And eggs. Orange yolks are way better than the pale yellow ones. But those you do have to shell out for.