Given what you know about the anatomy of the respiratory system, propose a reason why people can make milk or spaghetti come out of their nose.

The reason why people can make milk or spaghetti come out of their nose has to do with the interconnectedness of our respiratory and digestive systems. Here are the steps that explain this phenomenon:

1. The mouth is a part of both the digestive and respiratory systems. It is the starting point for both food (which goes into the digestive system) and air (which goes into the respiratory system).

2. When we swallow food or drink, it normally goes down our esophagus and into our stomach. This is facilitated by the action of the epiglottis, a small flap of tissue that covers the windpipe when we swallow to prevent food or drink from entering the lungs.

3. However, if we laugh, cough, or sneeze while eating or drinking, the epiglottis can be forced open. This can cause some of the food or drink to be pushed into the pharynx, a part of the throat that serves as a pathway for both food (to the esophagus) and air (to the larynx).

4. From the pharynx, the food or drink can be forced up into the nasal cavity, which is connected to the pharynx by the nasopharynx. This is why it's possible for food or drink to come out of our nose.

5. The force of the sneeze or cough propels the food or drink through the nasal passages and out of the nostrils.

So, the reason people can make milk or spaghetti come out of their nose is due to the shared pathways of the respiratory and digestive systems, and the forceful action of a sneeze or cough.