Pickle juice in my Coke at the state fair in 2011, and I still think about it
Back in high school my buddy dared me to dump a shot of dill pickle juice into my fountain Coke at the Iowa State Fair, and I picked the Coke over the root beer because I figured the vanilla would fight the brine. It was awful for about two seconds and then weirdly great, like a salty limeade that somehow worked, and I finished the whole 32 ounce cup. Now every few years I try it again and it never hits the same, so did I just ruin my taste buds back then or is fair Coke actually different?
State fair Coke runs through different syrup lines than a normal fountain machine, and that matters more than people want to admit. Those booths are pushing hundreds of cups an hour, so the ratio gets set heavy on syrup and the carbonation is cranked, which gives you a thicker, sweeter base that can actually stand up to salt and acid. A 7-Eleven Coke is watery by comparison and the pickle juice just tastes like regret floating in brown water. Add in that you were 16 or 17 and your taste buds literally change as you get older, plus fair food hits different because you are hot, walking all day, and half out of your mind. So it is probably 70 percent the machine and 30 percent you, and no you did not wreck your tongue. Try it with a Coke from a real soda fountain with crushed ice and report back.