(If you thought something else when you read the tread title, get your mind out of the gutter!) So, drinking the pickle juice? Is that really so odd? It's good for hydration. And if you like the taste of pickles, well, the juice is just like a really runny liquid pickle. And with a glowing description like that, who could possibly think it's nasty? What are your thoughts? You should see the looks I get. I know very few other pickle juice drinkers. If you don't like pickles, the answer is obvious. But if you do like pickles, why all the sour (no pun intended) faces at the thought of drinking pickle juice?
My father loves doing that; I'm not a fan, but I don't think it's disgusting or anything, just not really my thing.
Ugh. The taste of pickles makes me gag, and the thought of drinking the brine makes me nauseous. THANKS FOR THAT.
When eating Vlasic Dills, sure. I like the flavor. And as you say, it's great for hydration. Pickle juice is water, salt, and sugar making it basically Gatorade. Some people into heavy exercise keep jars of brine in the fridge for just that reason. The grocery store where I do my shopping in fact has little bottle of pickle juice next to the Gatorade in the sports drink aisle. It doesn't taste as good as the "real" stuff though. When eating CLaussen, no. I really like Claussen, but the brine is more salty and less sugary than most brand. When eating cheap off brand pickles, no. Often they taste too vinegary to me, and I don't care for whatever vinegar they use. (This is coming from someone who used to eat fresh cucumber slices in apple cider vinegar, and then drink the leftover juice.) When making my own pickles using a tsukemono brine, no. Too sweet. Though I love tsukemono, as well. (Otherwise, why make it?) What have I learned from this little exercise? My tastes are pretty arbitrary. Just as arbitrary as people who freak out when I drink pickle juice. On a completely unrelated note, when I watch a cooking show and the professional culinary experts show us unwashed masses how to make pico de gallo, they invariably pour out the juice on the bottom. IT'S THE BEST PART!!! WAAAUUUGGHHH!!!!
Ever since I was a kid, sometimes I even take a swig of olive juice (although that's best saved for "dirty martinis" - pour some olive juice into vodka, drink). I also used to dip slices of cheese into the jar of mustard for a snack.
At a family party, my cousin once gave my Dad a glass of olive juice and told him it was root beer. Imagine the shock of that--expecting the sweet fizziness of root beer and getting the flavor of olives.
I like the flavor and crunch of dill pickles, but wouldn't care for drinking the juice. On a -perhaps- related note, I used to get criticized by a few close to me when I do not drink the milk left in the bowl after I had finished my cereal. I like the flavor of my "milk-dampened(?)" cereal and the flavor of milk, but I don't care for cereal-flavored milk. I am a milk purist, I guess. I eventually got more careful with my pouring so I did not use too much milk. No more wasting milk and no more critiques at breakfast!
Don't feel bad, I never drink the cereal milk. In fact, I didn't even realize that was a thing people did until I moved in with my boyfriend and saw him doing it. To me that leftover milk is collateral damage for a great bowl of cereal. It's not meant to be drunk, it's a lost cause. My family growing up never drank the milk either (actually, the cats usually sat right by our bowls waiting for us to finish the cereal, then dove in for the milk before we had a chance to stop them). As for the pickle juice, I do enjoy the taste, but actually drinking the juice straight would give me a stomach ache.
My GP (retired) swears by pickle juice. Claims it's better than Gatorade cause the salt levels are close to that in the human body, plus it's lower in sugar, so it's better for replacing what you through dehydration and isn't as rough on the body. And the vinegar content is suppose to do something for helping the kidneys and bowels flush toxins when you're sick.
I have drunk at least a little bit of it at times. Have always felt inexplicably slightly dirty afterwards...