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From Kid Fad to Culinary Innovation?

I opened my virtual copy of the New York Times' Dining & Wine section this morning to a photo of a giant red pickle. Apparently dill pickles brined in Kool-Aid have become a hot kid trend in the American South, particularly the Mississipi Delta. The current mega sour trend has enjoyed a firm hold on the candy/snack market for at least fifteen years, with kids gobbling up extreme sours with the fervor of a bar bet. As their tastes have matured, so too have the sour candies they grew up with. Warheads eventually give way to Altoids Sours as evil little ten year olds grow up and become adults with sophisticated palates. But the sour treat fad goes back much farther than that. In Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, Amy March finds herself in the midst of a school scandal when she ends up in pickled lime debt with her peers. I was fascinated with the idea of Kool-Aid pickles and resolved to start a batch on payday. Then, as it is wont to do, my imagination took the idea and ran with it. Sure, I can make a batch of Kosher dills in Sharkleberry Fin or Purplesaurus Rex, but what about some of those more obscure flavors? Here in the Sonoran Desert, it's not uncommon to find Tamarindo flavored Kool-Aid marketed to Latino kids who deem the sticky red paste something worth putting in their mouths. The idea was out there; there was no taking it back now. What about Tamarindo Kool-Aid pickles? And once you've achieved optimal flavor absorption, why stop there? Why not chop the infused pickles into a sweet relish and serve with Ensenada-style fish tacos? I'm seeing grilled tilapia with soft corn tortillas, tamarind relish, and cilantro crema. If it works, I'll post a recipe and photo. If it's a horrible failure, you can heed my warnings or challenge me to an Iron Chef-style cook-off. Stay tuned...