Is It Important to Perform with Professionals?

Dear Momofuku,
I'm a musician. Is it better to rehearse perpetually, but never to perform, with happy amateurs, or to perform lots of mediocre gigs with frustrated professionals?
-- Confused Trombonist

Dear CT,
Later in his life, Momofuku Ando wrote dozens of essays about food. Among the best are "Mankind is Noodlekind" and "I Am a Salad Bar Man." In the latter, he declares his preference for simple restaurants (ones with salad bars), especially when traveling overseas. From this, we can conclude that the rewards of pursuing your passion -- whether in rehearsal or performance -- have little to do with the professional status of the people around you.