Cowboy Bebop is the first anime series I ever watched in its entirety and it is the series that sparked my deep love of anime. I remember watching it for the first time a couple decades ago, shortly after I graduated from college and falling in love with its visuals, soundtrack, storyline and characters. I was genuinely sad when it ended which prompted me to go out and buy the whole series, so that I could re-watch it whenever I wanted. I still pop in the old DVDs every few months and let myself get caught up in one of the most popular anime series’ of all time.

Cowboy Bebop shows us the universe in 2071 and follows a group of bounty hunters who hunt criminals on their ship, the Bebop. The group consists of Spike Spiegel, a laid-back former member of the Red Dragon Syndicate (a criminal organization); Jet Black, a retired cop and the owner of the Bebop; Faye Valentine, a gambling-addicted amnesiac who always finds herself in financial debt; “Ed”, an eccentric computer hacking prodigy from Earth; and Ein, a “data dog” as the group’s pet. They travel around in the Bebop trying to claim bounties on criminals and getting caught up in a lot of action along the way. The show consists of 26 episodes called “sessions” and they all have some kind of musically themed name. This show is one that most anime fans have seen and is a great introductory show for those new to the genre.

We find food in the very first episode titled “Asteroid Blues. Jet is preparing a dish that he shares with Spike; beef and bell peppers. As it turns out, Jet actually serves Spike a dish of beef and bell peppers minus the beef. When Spike balks at the meatless dish, Jet explains that they couldn’t afford the beef after paying off some damages that Spike caused grabbing their last bounty. The dish also appears in several other episodes either visually like in the final episode or in conversation like in the episode “Mushroom Samba”.

Beef and bell peppers is a running theme, representative of the “feast or famine” living that the crew aboard the Bebop live. In the first episode, they have money but not enough for the complete dish; in “Samba” they are pining for it because they have nothing at all in terms of money or food. They never actually eat real beef and bell peppers in the series just as they never make enough money to stop chasing bounties.

The dish is significant in the last episode “Real Folk Blues Part 2” for an entirely different reason. Jet makes the dish, (minus the beef) for himself and Spike right before Spike leaves to take on his old gang, the Red Dragon Syndicate. This time Spike doesn’t balk; I think it’s because he knows that this is the last meal he’s ever going to have on the Bebop. The first meal on the ship is the same as the last one; I think that this shows Spike’s relationship with Jet has come full circle. The presence of the dish here brings a sense of closure to the scene.

When I made this, I did put the beef in it only because my husband would balk more than Spike did if I left it out. So I included it in the recipe but marked it as optional. I also included it because I like to think that the crew of the Bebop would have been able to afford the beef at least once!

Jet’s Beef and Bell Peppers:

2 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided

1 pound of flank steak sliced into strips (optional)

2 bell peppers sliced into strips

1 onion sliced into strips

1 cup of sliced shitake mushrooms

Sauce:

1-2 Tablespoons of cornstarch

2 Tablespoons of Brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 Tablespoons cider vinegar

3/4 cup broth or water

• Heat 1 teaspoon of the vegetable oil over medium high heat in a large pan.
• Add the peppers, onions and mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes or until just tender. Remove the peppers from the pan and place on a plate.
• Add the remaining oil to the pan. Season the flank steak with salt and pepper to taste.
• Increase heat to high. Add the steak to the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Place the peppers back in the pan with the steak.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients.
• Pour the sauce over the steak mixture and bring to a simmer. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until sauce has just thickened, then serve over rice, if desired.