This week I reached out for an Oreo BK Sundae Shake, the object of much controversy in the drive-thru this summer.

Is this a sundae … or a shake? The world's No. 2 burger chain (11,100 restaurants) even held a bitterly fought election, with sundae narrowly in the lead. Admittedly, this may have gotten lost in that other bitterly fought campaign. I voted for sundae, and here's why.

Check out the blueprint: a 16-ounce cup of Burger King's regular milkshake mix, plus chocolate hot fudge, plus bits and pieces (great song by the Dave Clark Five) of Oreos, with whipped cream on top.

Total calories: 610. Fat grams: 24. Dietary fiber: 1 gram. Carbs: 87 grams. Manufacturer's suggested retail price: $1.99.

Hey, simple — if it's got whipped cream on top, it's a sundae. You could put whipped cream on Saturday and that would make it sundae. But here's the clincher: If you drink it, it's a milkshake; if you have to use a spoon to eat it, it's a sundae. There are big chunks of Oreo cookie in the Oreo BK Sundae Shake. If you chugged it cold, you might get cookie caught in your throat and possibly ralph your Sundae Shake all over your friends in the back seat. An awkward moment, to say the least.

You definitely need a spoon to eat this dessert, so let there be no mistake, my fellow Americans — it's a sundae.

When I heard about the sundae versus shake election, I thought, "I'll let Burger King decide for me." I figured, if they hand me a spoon, it's a sundae. If they give me a straw, it's a shake. Confound them, the friendly Burger King assistant sales executive (night shift) gave me both a straw and a spoon. The straw wasn't really a tip-off, either. It was one of those extra-wide "pipe straws," big enough to suck up the smaller cookie crumbles. The straw was like sticking the Alaska pipeline in the Sundae Shake.

Now, I know what the loyal opposition is saying: "Hey, they start with 16 ounces of milkshake, and no matter what they add, it's still a shake. You can put lipstick on a … "

Whoa, I'm not going there.

I'll phrase it in a less barnyard fashion. If you have a pint of ice cream, let it melt and then drink it — it's still ice cream.

Here's something both sides of the (advertising) campaign could agree on: The Oreo BK Sundae Shake is a pretty sweet way of polishing off a Whopper-and-fries meal. Burger King has introduced a dozen desserts on a limited-time-only basis. The Oreo BK Sundae Shake is permanent. That tells you something about Burger King's confidence in this shake — I mean sundae.

First, those are hunks of real Oreo cookie in there. Burger King could have gone the sincere imitation route, but it went with the brand-name product. You know how we feel about recognizable supermarket brands in the drive-thru. We get a sense of comfort from knowing what we're eating. And we've eaten, oh, about 50 trillion Oreo cookies.

You can order your Oreo BK Sundae Shake in vanilla, chocolate or strawberry. Chocolate is the smart play. It's just a couple extra squirts of hot fudge, so it's no bother, really.

While most fast-food joints aim their desserts at the younger set, the target audience for the Oreo BK Sundae Shake is adults. Kids, they grow up so fast.

Ken Hoffman's syndicated column appears Wednesdays.