I'm sure someone has done something like this as well. Just couldn't find it.

I took your code for a spin in the real world using Google Contacts API. Here's the output from a json response converted to a Perl data structure using Mojo::JSON::decode_json:

  HASH => {
    encoding => {},
    feed => {
      HASH => {
        "author" => {
          ARRAY => {
            HASH => {
              email => { HASH => { "\\$t" => {} } },
              name  => { HASH => { "\\$t" => {} } },
            },
          },
        },
        "category" => { ARRAY => { HASH => { scheme => {}, term => {} 
+} } },
        "entry" => {
          ARRAY => {
            HASH => {
              "app\\$edited" => { HASH => { "\\$t" => {}, "xmlns\\$app
+" => {} } },
              "category" => { ARRAY => { HASH => { scheme => {}, term 
+=> {} } } },
              "content" => { HASH => { "\\$t" => {} } },
              "gContact\\$birthday" => { HASH => { when => {} } },
              "gContact\\$groupMembershipInfo" => { ARRAY => { HASH =>
+ { deleted => {}, href => {} } } },
              "gContact\\$nickname" => { HASH => { "\\$t" => {} } },
              "gContact\\$relation" => { ARRAY => { HASH => { "\\$t" =
+> {}, "rel" => {} } } },
              "gContact\\$userDefinedField" => { ARRAY => { HASH => { 
+key => {}, value => {} } } },
              "gContact\\$website" => {
                ARRAY => { HASH => { href => {}, label => {}, primary 
+=> {}, rel => {} } },
              },
              "gd\\$email" => {
                ARRAY => {
                  HASH => { address => {}, label => {}, primary => {},
+ rel => {} },
                },
              },
              "gd\\$etag" => {},
              "gd\\$extendedProperty" => { ARRAY => { HASH => { "\\$t"
+ => {}, "name" => {} } } },
              "gd\\$im" => {
                ARRAY => {
                  HASH => { address => {}, label => {}, primary => {},
+ protocol => {}, rel => {} },
                },
              },
              "gd\\$name" => {
                HASH => {
                  "gd\\$additionalName" => { HASH => { "\\$t" => {} } 
+},
                  "gd\\$familyName"     => { HASH => { "\\$t" => {}, "
+yomi" => {} } },
                  "gd\\$fullName"       => { HASH => { "\\$t" => {} } 
+},
                  "gd\\$givenName"      => { HASH => { "\\$t" => {}, "
+yomi" => {} } },
                  "gd\\$namePrefix"     => { HASH => { "\\$t" => {} } 
+},
                  "gd\\$nameSuffix"     => { HASH => { "\\$t" => {} } 
+},
                },
              },
              "gd\\$organization" => {
                ARRAY => {
                  HASH => {
                    "gd\\$orgDepartment" => { HASH => { "\\$t" => {} }
+ },
                    "gd\\$orgName" => { HASH => { "\\$t" => {} } },
                    "gd\\$orgTitle" => { HASH => { "\\$t" => {} } },
                    "primary" => {},
                    "rel" => {},
                  },
                },
              },
              "gd\\$phoneNumber" => {
                ARRAY => {
                  HASH => { "\\$t" => {}, "label" => {}, "primary" => 
+{}, "rel" => {}, "uri" => {} },
                },
              },
              "gd\\$structuredPostalAddress" => {
                ARRAY => {
                  HASH => {
                    "gd\\$city"             => { HASH => { "\\$t" => {
+} } },
                    "gd\\$country"          => { HASH => { "\\$t" => {
+}, "code" => {} } },
                    "gd\\$formattedAddress" => { HASH => { "\\$t" => {
+} } },
                    "gd\\$postcode"         => { HASH => { "\\$t" => {
+} } },
                    "gd\\$region"           => { HASH => { "\\$t" => {
+} } },
                    "gd\\$street"           => { HASH => { "\\$t" => {
+} } },
                    "primary"              => {},
                    "rel"                  => {},
                  },
                },
              },
              "id" => { HASH => { "\\$t" => {} } },
              "link" => {
                ARRAY => {
                  HASH => { "gd\\$etag" => {}, "href" => {}, "rel" => 
+{}, "type" => {} },
                },
              },
              "title" => { HASH => { "\\$t" => {} } },
              "updated" => { HASH => { "\\$t" => {} } },
            },
          },
        },
        "gd\\$etag" => {},
        "generator" => { HASH => { "\\$t" => {}, "uri" => {}, "version
+" => {} } },
        "id" => { HASH => { "\\$t" => {} } },
        "link" => { ARRAY => { HASH => { href => {}, rel => {}, type =
+> {} } } },
        "openSearch\\$itemsPerPage" => { HASH => { "\\$t" => {} } },
        "openSearch\\$startIndex" => { HASH => { "\\$t" => {} } },
        "openSearch\\$totalResults" => { HASH => { "\\$t" => {} } },
        "title" => { HASH => { "\\$t" => {} } },
        "updated" => { HASH => { "\\$t" => {} } },
        "xmlns" => {},
        "xmlns\\$batch" => {},
        "xmlns\\$gContact" => {},
        "xmlns\\$gd" => {},
        "xmlns\\$openSearch" => {},
      },
    },
    version => {},
  },
[download]

I modified the code slightly to get rid of the "SCALAR" output.