When you can't stand another fizzy-sweet *belch* echoing around the back of your throat, you can reach for the chill-coated calm that only a fast-food milkshake brings. This is one of the few areas where McDonald's has actually improved upon one of its staples. Six years ago, they were sandy and salty, dissolving into slush within 20 minutes of having them handed to you (regardless of flavor preference). After receiving a slew of complaints (I certainly did MY part), they announced a change marketed as "triple thick", and it lived up to its billing; colder, creamier, and with more-intense flavoring (especially with the chocolate). HATED the gimmicky show pitches (that damned clear-plastic, open-top igloo with the spoon sticking out of it; repeated e-mails to the company failed to clean the stains out of my car's carpeting after one too many spills), but the shake remains solid to this day. Not the best (the Wendy's Frosty is the de facto standard, but you can't use a straw with it) or the cheapest, just the most convenient.
