And if you have had REAL wasabi, the green horseradish really is pale — but it does the job in a pinch.
Full and complete agreement here, my FRiend. I have been told that it looks like I am spreading cream cheese or PB when using wasabi, based on the amounts I use.
Consuming foods, sauces, etc. with heat/flavor is an adult-onset phenomenon for me as I did not consume any spicy/hot/flavorful foods as a kid. Once the switch was turned on, it has been fun!
I am OK with the green stuff at the Asian restaurants that I frequent being green food coloring in a horseradish paste, since I like horseradish. (Try it with a strawberry sometime...!) Upon discovering the price of real wasabi I realized that unless I was at a higher-end Asian place (which is unlikely for me...) I was not eating "real" wasabi.
For me, it's not about painful heat but the right amount of heat with flavor!
“The right amount of heat with flavor!”
That is what the professionals state.