Hotpot is easy and fast to prepare and most importantly, the No. 1 choice for the spice-addicted. In China, hotpot is eaten year-round. Beijing hotpot features a large brass vessel heated by burning coals in a central chimney. The northeast hotpot uses plenty of Chinese sauerkraut to make the pot"s stew sour. Sichuan hotpot creates a sensation on the tongue that is both spicy and burning and slightly numbing, almost like carbonated beverages.