It has English cc. It's not automatically translated but manually created with very good accuracy.

He used like 2kgs of planks though. I also like star anise. My mom always says I am using too much lol. But you are on another level. But if you like it, keep doing that.

6 star anise is waaaay too much. A standard in Chinese cooking is using 1-2 per 1kg (2.2lbs) of meat. It is not about if you like the flavor. Star anise has strong flavors. If you use 6 you overpower the rest of the flavor and destroys balances.

Here is the standard version. This chef is Sichuanese and this dish is actually accessible. I'd say one thing you can do to improve the flavor of the soup/beef is to stir fry the spices (especially the spice bean paste) to fully release its flavor, and then sear up the beef cubes in it. Also add a bit of sugar while you sear the beef cubes. It works miraculously.

Personally, I don't add MSG. soy sauce has enough of it. Instead of soy sauce, I add 黄豆酱 (soy bean sauce). This fermented bean product also includes plenty MSG, and it also softens up the meat. The chef used 芝麻酱/豆腐乳 which served the same purpose.

There is gonna be a shit tone amount of people on Rainier. If you do go there, go there on a weekday super early (like 6-7am). I highly suggest going up to Camp Muir if you are in decent shape. but check conditions before you go because you might need microspikes or crampons.

Olympic is huge. If you want to visit the Hoh and hurricane ridge, and hike, that is 2 whole days of driving (not counting from Hoh back to Seattle). Olympic is a must visit.

Instead of Mt St Helens (which you can't hike to the peak without a permit), consider parts of the Cascades that's closer to Seattle. All NFs in Washington are amazing. North Cascades NP is absolutely heaven if you are into alpine views. Of course there is always the Enchantment. If you are in super shape the doing that in a day (backpacking permit is a tough lottery) might be one of the best day hike in the US.

Kalispell is the closest airport, but it's expensive. I flew into Missoula and did some extra driving. The drive was beautiful.

You need to get off going to the sun road (def need to do a drive through) and do a hike. Preferably over one the many passes. I skipped the more popular trails and did Siyeh pass and it was mind blowing. Glacier Backcountry is amazing, but it is also more accessible than a lot other parks (Yosemite, north cascades come to mind). The best thing, of course, is to do a backpacking trip. There is no bad trail in Glacier. Just get any permit (or a walk up) and your jaws will drop.

I went there in 2013. If you like mountains, Glacier is a heaven.

Well I'm glad I did it already. It was a fun hike up and I was in no danger but I'm glad I didn't have to worry about rocks falling on me and potentially killing me.

Someone died on Colchuck pass a few years ago. In June or something like that, when there was still snow on route.

I'm glad you guys made it out alright.

How did you get out? Which route? And microspikes? I went up Colchuck pass and went out from snow lake. I can't imagine coming down from neither side if there is snow on the ground.