One of their kitchen drawers held a jar of ground peppercorns moistened by oil a brilliant idea, because the oil captured the spice's zing and kept it always at the ready.

WSJ: Lust for Spice: Sichuan Peppercorn Recipes

Mitchelson and Sit have the portfolio manager titles, but stock picking is really done at weekly five-hour gabfests where 12 people gather around a big jar of jelly beans in Sit Investment Associates' cozy conference room adorned with bamboo wallpaper and an oil painting of foggy mountains west of Shanghai.

FORBES: The jelly bean team