In the book "Sushi, food for the eye, the body & the soul" is a discussion of the fifth taste, umami, important to Asian food and primarily known from MSG. It says "... in 2001 it was shown that humans and other animals actually have a specific taste receptor for MSG."
I am interested to know if chefs are aware of that fact and, in particular, if they use it to advantage in their cooking. I would guess that people who know Japanese knives probably also know about umami. I am curious to see where this discussion goes.