Book excerpt: Vietnamese street food is - inarguably - one of the world's most dynamic cuisines. This book brings the flavor and spirit of those bustling streets to your home. Author Jerry Mai is a master of street food. She owns a number of restaurants specializing in nuanced flavors of Vietnamese street pho. Throughout this book, Jerry presents street food from the length of the country. There's bahn mi, rice paper rolls, Vietnamese-style omelets, lemongrass and fresh herb infused stir-fries, fresh noodle salads and so much more. Learn the subtle finesse that distinguishes a Hanoi style pho from its southern relative. If these dishes can be made on a cart, in the swarming streets of Da Nang, you can be confident in recreating them at home. With stunning photography of all 70 recipes, accompanied by gonzo imagery of the country itself, this is the perfect book for the armchair traveler or for those wishing to commemorate their trip. This book is the first instalment of the Street Food series, with Turkey and Mexico next on the chopping block. As any visitor will tell you, traveling through Vietnam is a culinary awakening. From Hanoi - the country's capital, in the north - down to Ho Chi Minh, it's easy to find where the locals eat... Because it's right in middle of the street. Where the West might view street carts as specially reserved for the chronically intoxicated or intestinally masochistic, curbside vendors in Vietnam are the country's greatest chefs. Street Food: Vietnam is a glimpse into these compact kitchens-on-wheels, without any of the humidity.