Marie and Christel Schoenfelder looked down the rows of tabletops with a mix of anxiety and anticipation.
Many thousands of dollars of silk, china, crystal and silver were spread out before them. Months of planning, shopping, cleaning and crafting were about to climax under the horse-racing concourse at the Los Angeles County Fair.
The mother-daughter duo from Rancho Cucamonga are two of the reigning queens of one of the most esoteric competitions at the fair: who can set the best dinner table.
They would vie against about 30 other contestants -- and each other -- transforming a function that might take five minutes for the typical American family meal into months-long quests for displays that in the end no one would eat at.
Down one row, an upturned table flanked by silky cushions and swathed in fabric looked like a Moroccan tent. To its right, a table decorated with lacy runners, busts, corset frames and glass cake platters evoked Victorian times. A row across, a James Bond-themed table featured martini glasses, lady's lipstick and a handgun.
Each setting was designed to accommodate an elaborate menu: beef tenderloin, grilled asparagus and mint juleps at one. Chicken tagine at another.
But no food would touch these bowls and plates. Eating is very much not the point.
And please, no touching that might disturb the setup. Exact distances separated utensils. Plates were placed and layered precisely. Linens were coordinated with the color of the wine.
Marie, 61, began working on her entry in July. Her table looked like the Kentucky Derby. A racetrack centerpiece included toy horses and miniature white picket fences. Red napkins were folded precisely into four pyramids, and Kentucky Derby racing tickets were spread over the end of a white tablecloth.
This was the first time she had competed head-on against Christel, 34, who also started work in July. Her Dr. Seuss table relied on a mash of bright pastel colors, stuffed toys and a menu written in the style of the famous children's author.
Tablescaping got its start as an outgrowth of breeding schools and etiquette classes. But what was once about stemware, linens and understated style has become more artistic and outlandish -- tables based on such movies as "Pirates of the Caribbean" and one even based on a Monopoly board (Christel's grand prize winner from a few years ago).
It's not about enhancing appetites.
