Woot, all of the answers make sense to me but it definitely is difficult to decide what umami really is, yeah?
Most of us would immediately think of meat for obvious reasons, hence the sensual connection a few here have suggested. But then, vegetables, fungus, beans and roots can also be savoury like, vegetable stock, celery, lotus root, potatoes, fermented soy beans, etc. These still give that kick in your taste buds.
So we have guessed sensuality, driven personality and charisma. They all seem to have one thing in common: robustness! Bitterness, saltiness, sweetness and maybe sourness all seem kind of passive in comparison. When you think about it, almost everyone looks forward to the main course of the meal, which is typically savoury. It's something that generally makes people excited. Heck, even I'm stealing words from Gordon Ramsay's meat-related food and recipe tutorials because they make me and my stomach sing, lol
