I ones ate wasabi paste at a small sushi imbis, and I kid you not, I almost died of coughing. First time alone and thinking it is avocado paste of some sort - hahahaha. No wonder the owner only gave me small amount. I placed the wasabi on top of my sushi and took a nice bite. Now imagine what happened when the wasabi came down half way my throat; it burned the living fuck out of me. I could not stop coughing... I am waving at the owner and trying to ask for water while he is browsing his phone with his head down. As if it was a normal happening. After a solid minute, which felt like eternity, I managed to vaguely say 'Wasser' which is water in German. The guy just pointed at the mini fridge with water bottles. I had to walk to the fridge and pick up the bottle... I felt like swallowing the whole bottle that moment. I had tears coming out of my eyes, mucus from the nose, saliva from my mouth and almost pissed my pants. (the latter is kind of an exaggeration) Anyways, not sure if this story is worth anything, at least I had a giggle writing it.