I had to stop drinking milkshakes once I started counting calories because of this kind of thing. Like, I knew it was bad, but I didn't know it was this bad. 😬
I mean, having one of this once a year just for the morbid curiosity of satisfying your palate in that much fat and sugar is fine, specially if you share one with several people. Yet, some people were having these things weekly, even daily. Those poor arteries.
I think taste builds up a tolerance to sweet in the same way it does for heat. I used to drink lots of soda, but I stopped drinking it completely and now when I have a sip of Coke it tastes WAY too sweet and I can barely stand it. For people who eat lots of fast and ultra-processed foods packed with added sugar, salt, and fat, they need more extremes like this shake to overcome their tolerance in the same way a person who eats lots of spicy foods gets bored with jalapenos and needs ghost peppers and Carolina reapers that would destroy most other people's palettes.
That's the caveat right here. Most people who eat this aren't generally eating well to begin with. A lot of Americans are gonna eat a double cheeseburger and fries with a soda which can clock up to 1600 calories, then go to Baskin Robbins for dessert and have this. That's why it's entirely possible for Americans to have 5k calories in a day because that's only 1 meal and a dessert.